Sara & Ryan Hall:
Our Fall Adventures - Part 2
(Elite Athlete Blog Entry 19)
Posted December 5th, 2008 at 2:16 PM by Sara Hall
Section: News & Results, Marathons, SPOTLIGHT, Elite Athlete Blogs, Ryan Hall, Sara Hall
Welcome to the official blog of U.S. middle-distance runner Sara Hall. Sara’s list of running accolades include being a former NCAA All- American at Stanford, the 2006 USA 5K road champion, and the 2006 champion at the Continental Fifth Avenue Mile. Check back every other Friday for her latest entry at http://sarahall.thefinalsprint.com/
As much as we enjoyed the run with the Zambian people, running wasn’t our intention for going to Zambia. We were there with some of the leaders and supporters of Team World Vision to see some of World Vision’s projects throughout different communities in Zambia. World Vision is a humanitarian organization that works with children, families, and their communities worldwide to tackle the causes of poverty and injustice. Team World Vision is a program that enables runners to raise awareness and funds for these communities. This year, Ryan and I joined Team World Vision to join other athletes in helping provide clean water for communities in Zambia.
The need for clean water impacts much of Africa for many reasons. Not only does unclean water cause and exacerbate disease, but it also keeps children from attending school. Often times, children, particularly girls, are required to walk long distances for clean water, keeping them out of school or causing them to arrive late and tired to the point of not being able to concentrate. It’s amazing that something so basic to human survival that we in the US take for granted could be denied to so many people in other areas. Ryan and I couldn’t wait to see with our own eyes the projects we had been thinking about and talking about throughout the last year, and meet the people who would benefit from the wells we were helping provide.
On our second day, we got on a bus to Musele, a remote area where we would see the need for clean water. “Remote” is an understatement. The only buildings we saw were mud huts with thatch roofs and an occasional rustic church or school building made of mud or concrete. We arrived in Musele to an equally touching welcome as Solwezi. Many people from the community were waiting when the bus arrived, groups of kids staring with big grins and women bursting out into song. Our guide interpreted these lyrics to us as we greeted them: “God has sent some angels from America to us” and “We will remember your great works for years and years to come.” We hardly felt we deserved this hero’s welcome, but it was exciting to see how touched the community had been by World Vision’s aid.
While in Musele, it was incredible to see in a very physical way the different projects that Team World Vision’s money had funded. We visited different wells that had been recently drilled, providing clean water via a pump that was so easy to use we saw children as young as three years old getting water for themselves. Around each of the wells, the community had built fences from branches to keep animals out. It was clear that the community members were very excited about the wells and took a lot of pride in them.
Another incredible project we saw while in Musele was a new health clinic in the process of being built. The clinic’s aim is to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS from pregnant mothers to their children. When this is a threat, the clinic is able to provide an antiretroviral drug that virtually eliminates the transmission of the disease to the fetus. The clinic also provides support and counseling to new mothers throughout their pregnancy and delivery to further reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS through things like breastfeeding.
After checking out some of the projects, the day had come for The “Run for Clean Water Marathon”. Though actually a 15k that started at the high school and ended at the health clinic, it had been planned because of our visit. Many of the high school students had decided to run, as well as some of the adults, though it was the first race they had ever run. It was a warm day, and as usual, we arrived late to find the crowd already assembled and anxiously awaiting our visit. As soon as I got out of the bus, I had kids coming up to me declaring, “I will leave you!” with a big smile. At first it took me a while to understand what they meant, and then I realized, “Oh, you are going to beat me!” “Yes!” they assured me. All of the high school girls that decided to run were particularly competitive with me in a playful way. I figured it was all their competitive instincts repressed from not being able to participate in athletics!
The district commissioner had shown up to do the honors, and soon everyone formed single-file lines behind the starting line according to grade. The girls dragged me to the front of their line, and we waited while someone stapled a paper number to the front and back of each person’s shirt. This took almost an hour to get through the 200 people that had assembled, while I watched the sun get higher and higher into the sky. Finally the whistle was blown and Ryan and I found ourselves nearly trampled by the eager runners, sprinting all out down the dirt road.
To be continued…
- Sara
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Check out Ryan and Sara Hall’s NEW website: http://ryanandsarahall.com/
Learn more about and donate to Ryan & Sara Hall’s “Run For Something More Precious Than Gold” Campaign and Support the Humanitarian Efforts of World Vision:
Related Stories:
- Sara Hall: The Fine Line
(Elite Athlete Blog Entry 21) - Sara & Ryan Hall:
Our Fall Adventures - Part 3
(Elite Athlete Blog Entry 20) - Sara & Ryan Hall:
Our Fall Adventures - Part 1
(Elite Athlete Blog Entry 18) - Ryan Hall: Olympic Memories
(Elite Athlete Blog Entry 15) - Sara Hall: The Calm Before The Storm
(Elite Athlete Blog Entry 14)
Tags: Columns, elite athlete, elite athlete blog, elite athlete blog series, elite athlete blogs, elite runner, faith, glorifying god, god, Mammoth Lakes, marathons, News & Results, Ryan Hall, sara bei, sara bei blog, sara hall, sara hall blog, spotlight, stanford, team running usa, team world vision, Terrence Mahon, tfs elite athlete blog series, the final sprint elite athlete blog series, thefinalsprint.com elite athlete blog series, Track & Field, world vision
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The Final Sprint
Thanks Sara for telling about your trip. Looking forward to part 3.
prayihng for you guys,
December 7th, 2008 at 11:17 pmtom harmon
Hi. I’m a reporter for Fox News Radio in New York. I’m trying to get in contact with Ryan Hall for a story I’m doing on Christian athletes. My contact number is 646 465 2414 and my email is todd.starnes@foxnews.com.
Thank you,
December 8th, 2008 at 2:12 pmTodd Starnes
Hey Ryan, I’m a pastor in SC and run my annual 10 k now. I love your story and your videos and was wondering if you ever share you testimony at churches. I’m guessing you do but not sure how often. We have the annual Cooper River Bridge Run in Charleston, SC every April. It’s the largest 10 k in the country, I believe, with like 40,000 walkers and runners. It would be a great weekend for you to come and share your testimony. We are a small church but we would love to talk to you about coming out and maybe reaching out to the many runners who do this run as well as those who live in the Charleston metro. I don’t know how else to get in touch with you so if you get this, please let know.
Thanks so much,
December 16th, 2008 at 9:20 pmDarien
Ryan, Hopefully you remember me I grew up with you in Big bear until I moved to lake havasu i have been trying to find a contact for you for years. We need to catch up it has been 13 years since I have seen you or talked to you and apprently you have been pretty busy. E-mail me at B_donnell1@hotmail.com or you can find me on myspace at www.myspace.com/kentfarm
December 22nd, 2008 at 4:55 pmRyan- I just saw that Sara will be running at the Drake Relays. Drake is my alma mater and I still leave real close. I would absolutely love to introduce myself to you. It would be an incredible honor. I was a runner and now a devout Christian (age 31). I know it’s late notice, but you can reach me at:
April 21st, 2009 at 11:16 pmpostpre@gmail.com - Brian
515-554-3165