Mario Rigby

Mario Rigby, Adventure Explorer

Mario Rigby is a Canadian-Turks and Caicos Islander adventure explorer, author, speaker, and former professional track and field athlete currently based in Toronto, ON.[1] From 2015 and 2017, he completed an epic two year long walk across Africa, from Cape Town to Cairo[2] entitled Crossing Africa.

Early life

Rigby was born on November 24, 1985 in Grand Turk Island, Turks and Caicos Islands to Zemar Stingl. He is the oldest of two sons born to Stingl, and he is of Jamaican and Bahamian descent. Shortly after his brother was born, the family relocated to Stuttgart, Germany where they resided for several years before returning to the Caribbean.

Life in Canada

The family's first move to Canada was to Hamilton, Ontario. Rigby ran competitive track and field for Turks and Caicos from age 14-26 and competed in multiple world championships and IAAF tournaments.

After completing high school in Hamilton, he moved to London, ON when he was 18, and attended Western University with a major in Kinesiology and a minor in Business.

He later moved to Toronto where he became a fitness trainer and ran his own gym in downtown Toronto - Magnus Training.

Crossing Africa and International Acclaim

Mario Rigby, Crossing Africa

In early 2015, Rigby decided he wanted to "shatter stereotypes that set narrow limits on what he can aspire to and where he can go".[3] He began to research and train for an epic two-year long walk across the continent of Africa. "Rigby started training slowly. First, he walked from his home near Queen and Ossington to the Eaton Centre, then up to Bloor Street. Once that five-kilometre trip felt easy, he kept increasing the distance, walking from Toronto to Hamilton and, eventually, from Toronto to Montreal".

By November 2015, he flew to Cape Town, South Africa, and embarked on a journey that took him through South Africa, Mozambique, Malawi, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, Sudan, and Egypt. He walked most of the way, only switching his routine to kayak through Lake Malawi, the ninth largest in the world, and second deepest in Africa. He completed the adventure by early 2018 and returned to Toronto in March 2018.

Rigby's Crossing Africa Expedition garnered him international acclaim and coverage from digital and print media around the world. A feature article in the Toronto Star was one of the top stories on their website for 2 weeks. He was also interviewed on multiple national Canadian network shows such as The Marilyn Dennis Show, The Social, and CTV National News.

Speaker

Mario has delivered dozens of talks for schools and organizations all over the world. His message is clear: Empower people, and encourage them to overcome and conquer fears. Being an advocate for the environment, Rigby also educates about the importance of saving our planet, and our role as individuals to bridge the gaps between humanity.

Next Ventures

Rigby is currently in Toronto working on his memoir on Crossing Africa, and preparing for his next expedition - Project EVA.

References

  1. ↑ "Mario Rigby completes Toronto to Montreal walk". Rcinet.ca. 2015-11-13. Retrieved 2016-09-29.
  2. ↑ "Crossing Africa". MARIO RIGBY. Retrieved 2018-07-25.
  3. ↑ "Toronto man sets out on 12,000-kilometre walk across Africa | The Star". thestar.com. Retrieved 2018-08-01.


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