Athletics
The Ubunye Challenge was founded when Cameron and a motley crew of South Africans and Zimbabweans decided they wanted to cycle the length of the United Kingdom, swim the English Channel and row across an Ocean. They completed all of those endeavours under the banner of the Ubunye Challenge and continue to push their own athletic limits with the main purpose of building awareness to fulfill Ubunye's vision that every child in rural Southern Africa has access to a quality education.
Ubunye athletes participate in myriad types of athletic events from 10km runs to rowing to Antarctica - and everything in between!
ParticipateTrans-Asia Cycling Expedition
Not knowing for being a cyclist, Cameron in August 2009 resigned from his job in finance in Beijing and, on a whim, brought a bicycle and cycled to Kanyakmari, the southerly most tip of India. A solo journey from Beijing through western China, into Central Asia, and down to the southernmost tip of India, Cameron covered 6500 km (4,039 miles) in slightly over four months. It was on this journey where Cameron hatched his idea for the Ubunye Challenge.
The Ocean 7
Cameron Bellamy became only the 11th person (and the first from Africa) to complete the Oceans 7, open water swimming’s version of climbing the 7 highest mountains in the world. The Oceans 7 consists of the 7 toughest channel swims around the world (including New Zealand’s Cook Strait, Japan’s Tsugaru Strait, Hawaii’s Molokai Channel, The North Channel between Scotland & Ireland, California’s Catalina Channel, The Strait of Gibraltar, and The English Channel).
Indian Ocean Rowing Expedition
On 11 June 2014 a team of 7 (including Ubunye’s founder, Cameron Bellamy, who rowed in the stroke seat of the boat for the duration of expedition) set off in a 45-foot rowing boat from Geraldton, Australia bound for the Seychelles. The team rowed 2 hours on/2 hours off (12 hours a day) for the entirety of the journey. On route they survived 50-foot waves during the tail end of hurricane, almost being run over by an oil tanker, a collision with a blue whale, interaction with west African pirates, amongst many other adventures. Rowing for 57 days, the team rowed a total of 6270 km (3,896 miles) and was awarded with 2 Guinness World Records for the fastest crossing of the Indian Ocean and the furthest distance ever rowed by a team.
The Impossible Row: Conquering the Drake Passage
On Christmas day 2019, Cameron Bellamy and five other crew members became the first to row across the notorious Drake Passage: a body of water thought to have the roughest and coldest waters on earth. The adventure was led by Colin O’Brady, former professional triathlete turned explorer and known for his world first crossing of Antarctica in 2018. The six men rowed the “Ohana”, their 29-foot open hull boat, two at a time in 90-minute shifts, twenty-four hours a day, for thirteen days. They covered 655 nautical miles in the row from Cape Horn, on the southernmost tip of South America to the frozen continent of Antarctica. The successful expedition dubbed the “Impossible Row’ was the culmination of a couple years of planning, support from Discovery Channel and excellent teamwork earned Bellamy five Guinness World Records.
Barbados to St Lucia
Cameron Bellamy departed from Barbados at 8:18 am on Friday September 13, 2019 and touched a rocky outcrop near Vieux Fort in St Lucia at 5:13 pm on Sunday September 15. He swam a distance of 150K. He was in the water for 56 hours and 55 minutes, 3 days and 2 nights. This was an “out of this world” ultra-endurance feat! He survived extreme heat, jellyfish stings, two sleepless nights, sunburn, a horrific case of “salt mouth” which left his lips hugely swollen and cracked, extreme fatigue and very sore shoulders. It was phenomenal. There are literally no words to adequately describe the exceptional story of Cameron Bellamy’s Caribbean swim – from Barbados to St. Lucia – the longest channel swim ever.
Swim Around Barbados
In November 2018 Cameron Bellamy became the first person to complete the highly complex swim around the island of Barbados. His unprecedented swim began on a Sunday at about 11:20 am. Unbelievably, he swam continuously for almost 41 hours and completed the 96K swim two days later, at 4:06 am on a Tuesday. The seemingly impossible feat will be remembered forever by all who witnessed it. During the swim, Cameron faced challenges including huge waves that caused him to detour out to sea twice and painful “salt mouth” from the many hours in the sea. But he never faltered, remaining focused and maintaining his planned stroke rate. Thousands followed his progress across the globe via live tracking and on social media. A large and jubilant crowd welcomed him at the finish. He had done it. History had been created. Cameron Bellamy swam around Barbados!