Queen Elizabeth II's 1952 honeymoon to Kenya inspired arguably one of the toughest international road races in sports history.

Kenya had become a popular safari spot during the 20th century, attracting world leaders including Theodore Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and the Duke of Gloucester. So when Elizabeth, then a princess, and her new husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, were looking for the perfect vacation, they picked the colony of Kenya. After a visit to Nairobi and a five-day safari, the couple stayed at the world famous Treetops Lodge.

On the morning of February 6, King George VI died. Elizabeth went into the Treetops as a princess and left as the Queen. Her coronation was held more than a year later in June of 1953.

To celebrate the Queen and Kenya's new place in royal history, Kenyans planned a road race through the bush. The event, called the Coronation Rally, began in Nairobi and was timed to finish at the same moment that Queen Elizabeth II was crowned in Westminster Abbey.

Since then, the rally has become an annual event. Now called the Safari Rally, it is Kenya's most popular sporting event, Africa's longest rally, and the only African event on the world rally circuit.

—Elizabeth Quill