Mario Rigby was born in Turks & Caicos Islands and spent his childhood in Germany, before moving to Toronto, Canada at the age of 16. He has always had a tremendous drive to push the limits in athletics, exploration and anything else he puts his mind to, starting with a love for track and field in his early days, competing for his national team. While Mario’s entrepreneurial spirit and athleticism led him to open a business in the fitness industry upon his arrival to Toronto, he desired a grander challenge that led him to transition out of his career to pursue an explorative adventure that would allow him to better connect with the world around him. Thus, the Crossing Africa expedition was born.
In 2018, Mario completed his crossing Africa journey, a two-year trek walking and kayaking from Cape Town, South Africa to Cairo, Egypt. This expedition allowed him to connect with communities and share their message and stories with the world with a mission of bridging the gap between humanity. His goal was to inspire people locally and globally to get out, be brave, and see the world. Mario is an advocate for the inclusion of diversity in the outdoors and encourages people to explore the outdoors through sustainable forms of travel. Mario’s stories are gripping and thought-provoking as he learns about humanity and overcoming fear. In a world that’s rapidly changing, Mario believes his life lessons are worth sharing and hopes to inspire others to have more courage and address global issues that affect us all. Currently, Mario is preparing for his next adventure. With the support of The Explorers Club and the Discovery Channel, Mario will be exploring climate change in British Columbia and the effects on the river systems and First Nations communities that reside there. RECOGNITION
Mario has been chosen as one of 200 nominees for the 2018 Most Influential People of African Descent (MIPAD) global 100 list to recognize the positive contributions made by people of African descent, worldwide.
MIPAD is a unique global list that identifies, in total, 200 outstanding individuals under 40, with 100 inside Africa, 100 outside Africa in the Diaspora across 4 categories; Politics & Governance, Business & Entrepreneurship, Media & Culture, Humanitarian & Religious. |
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