Running Africa

In his memoir, Boyd shares his first-hand experiences running across nine African countries, blending adventure, endurance, and purpose. Running Africa captures Africa's diverse landscapes, cultures, and challenges through the eyes of a determined runner on a mission to inspire civic responsibility and social change. The non-fiction work intertwines a story of personal resilience and discovery with a call to action for Africa’s next generation. 

Running Africa is however much more than a sports memoir; it's a candid look at the challenges and complexities of Africa. The book provides full details on the Verified Record, documenting the 11,000km run from Cape Town to Cairo, which was independently verified to secure the Guinness World Record for the fastest time, breaking a 25-year-old record (verification is available on the Guinness World Records website).

Beyond the athletic feat, the memoir details facing extreme adversity and resilience, including a firefight, a hostage situation, team members being imprisoned, and managing a generic heart condition while running. This raw context sets the stage for the book's core theme: civic responsibility and youth empowerment. Furthermore, demonstrating impact and transparency, the book is published by RainbowLeaders, the youth pro-democracy foundation founded by Boyd, whose mission is focused on reducing poverty by motivating Africa's youth to vote and hold leaders accountable.

“Poverty is overwhelmingly a country-specific problem,” says Boyd. “Its greatest contributor is poor leadership, which leads to a trust deficit, deterring investment and slowing economic growth. Educating and motivating young people to vote is key to changing that.”

Keith Boyd is an entrepreneur, CEO, and investor with extensive experience in the telecommunications, property, tourism, and power industries across Africa. He holds the Guinness World Record for the fastest run from Cape Town to Cairo. He now focuses on social impact investment and youth empowerment through RainbowLeaders.org.za. His aim is to reduce poverty by motivating young Africans to vote and hold leaders accountable.