Merrell Ambassador Andrew Murray set for epic African journey of discovery

Endurance athlete Dr Andrew Murray, who is an official brand ambassador for Merrell, the outdoor footwear and apparel specialist, is set to embark Dr Murray will be joined by former Marine Commando Donnie Campbell to run more than an ultra-marathon (50km) every day in an epic 18-day run across East Africa. The journey will include running up and down Mt Kenya and Mt Kilimanjaro, through wildlife-filled game reserves and tropical rainforests, including several mountain ascents. The pair will resident Dr Murray, who grew up in Kenya, shot to fame in 2011 when he ran 4290km from John O’Groats to the Sahara desert, and broke a world record in 2012 by completing seven ultra-marathons on seven continents in seven days as well as winning the North Pole Marathon and the Murray’s objective for this year’s challenge is to discover the secrets to the prolific success of East African athletes – home to the best endurance athletes in the world.

Remarkably, at the 2011 Athletics World Championships, Kenya won 17 medals, with no fewer than 10 medallists coming from the tiny village of Iten. This remains the single greatest, is no better way to find out what makes these athletes so fast, than to spend time in their company and take on some of the biggest challenges East Africa has to offer. It’s all about learning from Africa. 66 of the best 100 marathon runners in the world are from Kenya – is this due to the training regime, genetic factors, the food that is eaten, the altitude, or other factors?

“When you are running such a distance in challenging terrain such as over Kilimanjaro, through rainforests, keeping your feet healthy and was founded by Clark Matis, Randy Merrell and John Schweitzer in 1981 and has provided outdoor enthusiasts with quality performance footwear ever since. The company’s philosophy is based on encouraging and equipping everyone to Get Outside to seek adventure, exhilaration and new experiences. As the concept of ‘outdoor’ has broadened to include all types of activities and environments – both natural and urban – Merrell has evolved its product range and categories to accommodate ‘The New Outdoor’. The company was founded on the principle of developing bespoke footwear and has invested heavily in research and partnered with other forward-thinking companies such as Gore-Tex®, Polartec®, Thinsulate? Insulation and Vibram® to provide consumers with revolutionary high-performance footwear. Matis and Schweitzer sold the private company to Karhu USA and in 1997 Wolverine Worldwide acquired the company. Since then, it has grown in the ‘aftersport’ and fashion footwear categories and in 2006 Merrell launched a performance and lifestyle clothing line.

Merrell is ranked by Sporting Goods Intelligence as the Number 1 Worldwide Performance-Orientated Outdoor Footwear Brand for 2010. 

The Merrell brand is wholly owned by Wolverine World Wide Inc. which was founded in 1883 in the US and now ranks as the world's largest marketer of branded work and outdoor shoes and boots. Wolverine World Wide Inc. houses a number of work and sport footwear brands including: Caterpillar, Coleman, Hush Puppies, Patagonia, Sebago, Harley-Davidson