More than 600 runners from at least 15 countries – some in fancy dress – took part in the 13 km course from Victoria Park to Jersey Zoo.
Mr Cavill, who is an ambassador for the wildlife conservation trust, was on a mission to help raise money at the annual family fun day.
‘I have very distinct memories of going to the Zoo with my parents as a young boy,’ said Mr Cavill. ‘I began to understand what Durrell’s mission was in my late teens, when I would come back to the Island from boarding school.’
As an ambassador for the organisation, the Superman actor hopes to use his fame to raise the charity’s profile worldwide. Mr Cavill said that he visited Durrell on Saturday, adding that he felt he had a particular connection with the orang-utans, gorillas and the bats.
‘When you look at bats up close you see that they are actually very cute and not the scary creatures they are depicted as being in movies. They kind of look like little dogs with wings,’ he said.
Speaking about his fitness regime ahead of the race, he added: ‘While I am working out all year round, I don’t do running. I mainly do weight training as it is very difficult doing high-energy work-outs first thing in the morning when you are working on a movie for up to 14 hours a day.’
After the race, Mr Cavill mingled with the crowd at Durrell.
