Martina Navratilova set to conquer Mount Kilimanjaro

(eTN) – American tennis legend Martina Navratilova is set to fly to Tanzania next week for a tourism mission which will see her conquering Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest peak, in a campaign to r

(eTN) – American tennis legend Martina Navratilova is set to fly to Tanzania next week for a tourism mission which will see her conquering Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest peak, in a campaign to raise funds for charity organizations.

Martina Navratilova’s tourism mission to Tanzania will also include 28 special fund raisers, who will accompany her in her bid to climb Africa’s highest mountain. Raised funds will benefit Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, a charity organization, which support over 80 projects worldwide, helping to improve the lives of one million poor children.

On November 10, Navratilova climbed to the top of the Bank of America Tower in New York, the second tallest building in the city, to put the finishing touches on her training for Kilimanjaro climb.

Navratilova climbed 55 flights of stairs within the building, ascending 950 feet, with a group of youngsters from New York-based Camp Interactive, which is part of the network of Laureus Sport for Good projects.

Upon reaching the top of the Bank of America Tower, Navratilova was greeted by Tanzania’s Permanent Representative in United Nations (UN), Ambassador Ombeni Sefue, who wished her and the other fund raisers much success in completing โ€œthe exhilarating journey to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro.โ€

Ambassador Sefue thanked Navratilova for selecting the challenge of Kilimanjaro as the focus of her charity, and bringing such positive attention to Tanzania.

โ€œI made the decision to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro for the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation at the beginning of this year, and despite everything that has happened, I now have a clean bill of health and I am determined to reach the summit and raise funds for Laureusโ€, Navratilova said.

The climb progresses to moorlands on a gentle gradient, which increase through rolling terrain. The group will climb steep, grassy slopes, before leaving vegetation behind and moving onto a wide, lunar-like desert area.

The route to the summit continues up slopes made up of loose rock. Once on the rim of the crater, the steep incline gives way to undulations of ice and snow on the way to the summit.

Navratilovaโ€™s Kilimanjaro climb will ascend via the Rongai Route in Rombo district, Eastern side of the mountain, where her team will enjoy passing through alpine forest, coffee and green banana plantations. The entire mission will take up to seven days.

Only a half of those who attempt to reach the peak of this highest and free standing mountain in Africa manage to reach the top.

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Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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