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2007
Kisumu World AIDS Marathon
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Born
to Run, To the swiftest go the
spoils
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Tim
Thomas giving instructions to runners before the race. Betty Okero,
one of the main organizing volunteers of the event is in the yellow
t-shirt on the right. Tim is amazing how he pulls this event off
every year. Even more impressive is Dr. Thomas’s work at CDC KEMRI
where he does his part to make a substantial reduction in the number
of AIDS fatalities every day. Dr. Thomas’s specializes in AIDS
research and his goal is to have as many people tested for HIV as
possible. This is especially true with pregnant women who are
HIV-positive. For positive, pregnant women, he encourages them and
their infant to take the drug Neviripine at the time of birth. This
will substantially reduce the likelihood that another HIV baby will
be brought into the world. | |
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Ready, set... you're all crazy
to be here today... GO! Dr. William H. Tan (left) of Singapore
and Anthony Rioko (right) of Kenya may not have legs but they
make up for it in guts, determination and
willpower. | |
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A jubilant Dr. William H Tan,
http://www.willpower.com.sg, and
Anthony Rioko after completing the 2007 Kisumu, Kenya World AIDS
Marathon. NEWS ALERT…. December 19, 2007…
Dr. William H. Tan has now become the fastest person in the
world to complete 7 marathons across 7 continents in 26 days, 17
hours and 43 minutes. | |
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In
the distance on the far left is my wife Jodi being tested for HIV.
Jodi gets tested every three months for HIV and the likelihood that
she will become HIV-positive is slim to none as long as we practice
safe sex which means men must wear condoms 100% of the time before
their penis comes in contact with a women's
vagina. | |
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Another
of the main volunteers for the marathon and children's walk was
Joseph Thuku. Joseph organized the walk and he also tested Barack
and Michelle Obama for HIV when they visited Kenya in 2006. Barack,
if you happen to read this, we had 140 people tested for
HIV. | |
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The
clock shows my completion time at 5+ hours. It took me 35 minutes to
complete the first mile due to the 37,000+ runners. The official
time for my completing the NYC Marathon was 04:44:44.
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I would normally say there are
no excuses for not finishing the 2007 Kisumu World AIDS
Marathon, but I really did get sick. I did complete the NYC
Marathon one month earlier in 4 hours, 44 minutes, 44
seconds.
Above
photo
courtesy of brightrooms.com
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version
Philip
Maiyo, board member of the Richard M. Brodsky Foundation, has been
the heart and soul of the World AIDS Marathon from its inception
back in 2002. Philip is the Secretary of the Chepkero Athletics Club
and always brings plenty of runners from Eldoret, the town known for
it elite runners. Naturally we are extremely grateful to Philip for
bringing his very talented runners to participate in the World AIDS
Marathon. In addition, Philip has been largely responsible for
securing athletic scholarships for 86 Kenyan runners to attend
college in America. | |
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Soccer players walking in the
children's walk to give the children encouragement. 500 children
participated in the walk and were served a light meal after the
walk. Jodi and I walked around Kisumu and we received
donations from Nakumatt and KenShop for 50 loaves of bread and
from Mon Ami we received 10 kilos of margarine. It's not about the
amount they gave; they gave because they wanted to help the children
of Kisumu. We hope that all markets and bakeries in Kisumu will
donate something for the children, not just on World AIDS Day, but
on a more frequent basis. | |
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Alie
Eleveld, board member of the Richard M. Brodsky Foundation, in
a contemplating mood wondering, 'Did I really get up at 4 in the
morning to make sure all 42 water stations were properly
manned?' Alie's contribution to the marathon was providing safe
drinking water for the marathon as well as recruiting volunteers
and medical assistance from various health
institutions in the event of an emergency, providing T-shirts
for the volunteers, and raising money and in-kind donations. Alie
has been largely responsible for assisting in developing safe, clean
water projects throughout Western Kenya by
assisting HIV groups to bring safe water treatment and
other health products to their projects for them to sell,
and in her spare time, you can always count on Alie
to assist orphans with scholarships, material support and
counseling. | |
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Perfectly
behaved children at 'Reach-Out Orphans Support Center,' where
Hezekiah Nyaranga cares for the orphans during the day so they can
return home at night. This arrangement prohibits the state from
taking away the orphan’s land. | |
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Richard and Jodi pictured with
the orphans. Bury me with a photo of Jodi, my three
daughters, this photo and a pair of running shoes. You can
have your Mercedes, the biggest house, enough money for ten
lifetimes but you will never experience the joy of providing a much
needed meal for 350 orphans. Next year, G-d willing and peace and
stability return to Kisumu, I'll be back and all foreign runners, up
to 100, who sign up to run the World AIDS Marathon or
half-marathon will be invited to dine with these
children. | |
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Please help the children. Give
and then give some more of your time, energy and money. If you were
to ask me are these two children among the many pictured above who
have AIDS, I could not say. They are orphans and they cannot be
denied their right to be loved and
nurtured. | |
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Susan
Thompson, http://fish4kenya.com, in the
middle flanked By Jodi and me. Susan is a marine biologist from
Canada who has brought her expertise to Kakamega, Kenya and
surrounding villages. Susan is teaching the women how to raise fish
in local ponds by adding and monitoring chemicals to the water.
Susan has also made arrangements for six sewing machines to be
brought to homes where AIDS orphans are being cared for. Susan then
teaches the orphans and children how to sew so they can produce
school uniforms. | |
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An excellent
investment... Jodi received a shilling as an
award for her excellent dancing, and I donated 1,000 shillings when
we left. I think I got the better of the deal because my $16
donation got a smile from the group as the one shilling award put an
even bigger smile on my wife's
face. | |
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I never did get to tour the
slums, but these huts have no running water or electricity and a
family of 6 lives in one room about half the size of a one-car
garage and most garages in America have electricity. Sadly, this
says a lot about how many Americans value their
cars more than the people of
Africa. | |
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