This Saturday, 17 October, ultra runner Nicholas Burger will cover roughly 72km on foot from Grotto Beach in Hermanus to the African Penguin and Seabird Sanctuary in Kleinbaai, raising money for the Dyer Island Conservation Trust through his Project Penguin campaign. He sets off at 06:00 and expects to finish between 14:30 and 16:00, weather and legs permitting.

The route threads together the best of the Overberg coastline: the cliff path out of Hermanus, Rotary Way over the mountain, a descent through Fernkloof to Voëlklip, then the R43 towards Stanford before passing De Kelders and Gansbaai to finish at the sanctuary in Kleinbaai. Expect about 1 200m of climbing across coastal paths, mountain tracks and road. Supporters can track his live location, join the final leg from Stanford, or cheer at the refreshment stations along the way.

The reason behind the run is stark. African penguins are critically endangered, having lost over 95% of their historical population, with fewer than 10 000 breeding pairs left in the wild. Burger, a self-described 'very average ultra runner', says he had no idea how dire the situation was until recently and wanted to put his endurance hobby to work for something bigger. The timing matters too: the run falls during Penguin Awareness Month.

Money raised goes to the Dyer Island Conservation Trust, founded in 2006 and based in Gansbaai, which works on seabird rescue and rehabilitation, research, marine ecosystem protection and environmental education. The trust has contributed to more than 40 peer-reviewed studies. Its African Penguin and Seabird Sanctuary, opened in 2015, has rehabilitated and released more than 1 200 penguins, and is equipped with a bird hospital, lab, clinical space and even an X-ray facility. Donations can be made via the campaign's BackaBuddy page.

For travellers, the story doubles as a nudge to visit a stretch of the Western Cape that rewards slow exploration. Hermanus is famous for land-based whale watching between roughly June and November, and the cliff path Burger starts on is one of the loveliest coastal walks in the country. Kleinbaai and neighbouring Gansbaai are the launch points for cage diving and boat trips to Dyer Island, where you can see the penguins themselves. The sanctuary welcomes visitors and does genuine conservation education, so a stop there puts your entrance money to work. If you happen to be in the area this weekend, the finish-line welcome at the sanctuary is open to the public.

Burger's point is that the penguin's decline signals wider trouble in the ocean, and that anyone can pitch in — by donating, sharing the campaign or simply learning what's at stake. A 72km run is optional; the cause isn't.