An invitation, not an obligation
Three ways to run. All equally welcome.
Run for Your Hero™ is a metaphor for whatever moves you — never a requirement. However you arrive at the start line, you belong at Gabs Ultra.
Run for your hero — share it
Carry your hero's name on your race bib if you wish. Any name displayed publicly will need an appropriate confirmation at official registration.
Run for your hero — keep it private
Your dedication stays yours alone. No names are asked for, and nothing is ever published.
Just run
No dedication at all — the same distance, the same race experience, the same medal, timing and support.
How registration will work: when official race registration opens, the dedication question will default to "No dedication", and every dedication field will be entirely optional. Nothing is collected today — the Founding Runners list is a waitlist, not race entry.
How it works
Three simple moments.
Choose your hero
A parent, a child, a mentor, a coach, a friend — or someone whose memory you honour. Your hero can be living or remembered, and your dedication can stay entirely private. There is no wrong answer, and no obligation.
Wear their name
When official race registration opens, you'll have the option to add your hero's name to your race bib, subject to a personalisation deadline that will be announced with registration. It's a choice, never a requirement.
Celebrate your finish
On race day, a planned official “I RAN FOR MY HERO!” photo backdrop will wait near the finish — a place to mark the moment with the name you carried. Photography participation is completely optional.
The bib
Their name, over your heart.
When official registration opens, you'll be able to add one name beneath your own — the person whose strength you borrow on the hard kilometres. Personalisation is optional and will close before a print deadline announced with registration.
Names displayed publicly on a bib will require an appropriate confirmation at registration. No hero details are collected today — the Founding Runner list is a waitlist, not race entry.
Gabs Ultra · Gaborone
21 · 03 · 2027
0521
LERATO M.
Running for my hero
MME ONALENNA
Run Botswana. Feel Africa.
Race day, planned
Two ways to mark the moment.
Two separate photo backdrops are planned for the finish area — equally accessible to every runner, and neither is ever required. Use either, both or neither, whatever your dedication choice.
“I RAN FOR MY HERO!”
The dedication backdrop. A place to celebrate the name you carried across the line — whether you shared it on your bib or held it privately in your heart.
GABS ULTRA FINISHER
Run Botswana. Feel Africa.
The inclusive finisher backdrop. For every runner — dedication or not — to mark 52, 21 or 10 kilometres in Gaborone.
Both backdrops are planned features, not final production artwork. Race-day photography is always optional, and no real person's story or image will ever be shared without their affirmative permission.
Your hero. Your privacy.
We don't collect hero names or dedications yet, and we won't ask for them on the Founding Runner waitlist. Optional bib personalisation fields will appear only inside the official race registration flow when it launches. Dedications can remain private, and public hero stories will always require a separate, explicit opt-in.
Questions
Gentle answers.
- Do I have to dedicate my race to someone?
- No. Run for Your Hero™ is an invitation, not a requirement. Many runners will simply run — and that's every bit as much a part of Gabs Ultra.
- Can my dedication stay private?
- Yes. You never have to share your hero's name or story. A private dedication carried in your own heart is just as meaningful.
- How does the personalised bib work?
- Bib personalisation will be offered as an optional field inside the official race registration flow when it launches — not on the Founding Runner waitlist. A personalisation deadline will apply and will be announced with registration; no deadline has been set yet.
- Is the “I RAN FOR MY HERO!” backdrop confirmed?
- It is a planned race-day feature, not yet final production artwork. Race-day photography at the backdrop will always be optional.
- Will hero stories be made public?
- Only with a separate, explicit opt-in. We will never publish a real person's name, story or image without their affirmative permission — and any name displayed publicly on a bib will require an appropriate confirmation during registration.
- Is this only for international visitors?
- Not at all. Run for Your Hero™ is for Batswana, African and international runners alike — and whether you dedicate your run or not, the beauty of Botswana is there for everyone to enjoy.
Run for Your Hero™ · Run Botswana. Feel Africa.
One race. A personal purpose. A remarkable destination.
Join the Founding Runners waitlist for first access when official registration opens — and start dreaming about everything Botswana has waiting beyond the finish line.
The Founding Runners list is a waitlist, not race entry.
Stay close to the race
Route reveals. Registration windows. Botswana stories.
A short, occasional newsletter from the organisers: race news, Botswana inspiration and inclusive hero stories — shared only with the storyteller's explicit opt-in. Everything important, nothing else.