On July 23rd Kerri Kanuga will participate in her third Badwater race in Death Valley California, National Geographic has named the Badwater135 as “The World’s Toughest Foot Race”. Covering 135 miles Kerri will trek through the lowest elevation in North America, 280 feet below sea level, through 3 mountain ranges finishing at the portal of Mt. Whitney. This will be Kerri’s third Badwater135, she has completed the race twice previously, and is again dedicating the race in support of the St Baldrick’s Foundation, the largest private funder of childhood cancer research.

Kerri has raised over $40,000 since 2015 and her fundraising efforts all over the world which have included a 20 km swim around Key West, FL, the Cayman “Ker-a-Thon”, (a 6 mile sea swim followed by a 106 mile run), Marathon Des Sables and a total of 11 ultra-marathons of 100 miles or more, the longest being a 160 mile race in Brazil (equivalent to 6 marathons back to back!). Kerri will also be running her first 200-mile race this September around Lake Tahoe. Kerri’s motivation comes from fellow Cayman Islander, 11-year-old cancer survivor, Hannah Meeson, who battled medulloblastoma, which led to intense treatment that has left her with cognitive and hearing difficulties, and the inability to walk unassisted. When Kerri met Hannah in 2015, she was shocked to learn that only 4 percent of U.S. federal cancer funding is dedicated to research for childhood cancers. St. Baldrick’s and Kerri are working to change this for future generations.

Kerri hopes her efforts will lead to advanced survival rates in children and contribute to the prevention of lifelong effects resulting from treatments given while kids’ bodies are still developing.