May Angels lead you in

May angels lead you in

Hear you hear me my friends
On sleepless roads the sleepless go
May angels lead you in
May angels lead you in

These are some of the lyrics from a song May angels lead you in performed by the group Jimmy Eat World made famous in the movie A Cinderella story.  I like the song a lot; it is an interesting song as a choice for the movies love song as it is not a perfect fit, as it deals with loss and regret more than love.

 

One night while laying out on a lawn chair looking at the clouds moving overhead I thought of these words as a fit that I can see for the next steps in my life.  I thought back to all that has happened in my six years of being involved as a volunteer for Ratanak International and I wondered to myself "do I make these decisions that seem so strange so risky on the surface?"  Decisions so out of character of my personality, or is there a force so much greater than myself leading me to these choices?  Indeed as I embark on the next path of my life I truly see that Angels have indeed led me in and are all around me, not to say life is easy and everything goes perfect, far from it at most times, especially as my involvement in the Cambodian children's lives goes a bit deeper. My last entry on this blog was immediately after the first ever Ratanak 5km walkathon.
 

I wrote I felt the need to rest to take the Summer off of being actively involved in the work of Ratanak International. A Pastor friend confirmed this decision as he emailed me "I affirm your decision to take a break.  The woodcutter who stops every now and then to sharpen his axe will end up cutting a lot more wood then the woodcutter who never stops working.  May the Holy Spirit sharpen the keen edge of your passion for the exploited children of Cambodia so that it will penetrate more hearts." Taking a break was not easy for me.

Jeremiah 20 vs. 9 

If I say I will not mention him or speak any more in his name, his word is in my

heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones.

I am weary of holding it in; indeed I cannot.

This sums up my feelings for the exploited children in Cambodia.  I could not go cold turkey. I sort of worked out a compromise.  I received emails from people in the Toronto core group letting me know about some of the latest news.  I also sent out a couple of emails, and I would go on the Ratanak website quite often to catch up on the latest news.

I did rest as I found it nice actually getting about seven hours of sleep some nights helped my body recover.  I did not pray as much as I should have.  My beautiful family enjoyed the hot weather as much as we could, we did get to the beach and a cottage as well.  I almost finished the mountain of yard work only to have another mountain appear.

What I can relate to in the words of the Pastor are not so much about the axe, but what I feel was accomplished in my time off is that the arms that swing the axe and the body that controls the arms were rested allowing me to see into the future. Two events of the last week showed me that my "sabbatical" is over and it is time to go forward.

I attended a race to benefit the Impoverished Children of Guatemala.  I picked this race because it was at Erindale Park where we held the walkathon.  I was hoping to again see the outlook of the park and areas on where Paul and myself can improve (Paul willing) if there is to be a Ratanak race in 2013.  I did indeed see a few areas I could have improved on and met three people who encouraged me.  The first was a man who was a year older than myself and was quite an accomplished runner, he actually won this particular race.  He called our ages "vintage"  nicer then some other names that come to mind, and he gave me a lot of ideas including the name of a book that he felt should help me to run faster.  I am not holding my breath on the faster, but I am hoping to become more efficient.

The next person I met was an endurance athlete who does crazy things to raise money for Charity.  He recently rode his bicycle from Calgary to Mexico.  He also is the Ontario Sales Rep for a company who sells Natural products for endurance athletes, he gave me his card and we have exchanged emails of which I have been encouraged to ask any questions related to keeping hydrated during training for and actually running in a marathon.  The last person I met was the race director.  I encouraged her for taking the time to organize this event that benefited needy children and let her know about my involvement with Ratanak.  She responded that "we are kindred Spirits" and that she attended the Meeting House in Oakville, had heard about the exploited children in Cambodia and had purchased a CD of Kelita Haverland`s (A woman who has raised a ton of money and recognition for Ratanak through her gift of Music.)

The next event occurred a few days later at a friend of my families Cottage.  There was a map on the wall that caught my attention, especially the name of the map.  I could not find a picture of the map on the Internet but I believe I found something even better.
The monument is called The Wilberforce Settlement.  In 1830 a group of fugitive Negro slaves from Cincinnati settled in this vicinity.
The settlement was named after the great British abolitionist William Wilberforce.  I thought later about what "sacred" ground that this area was founded on.

 

One day during the Summer I thought back to a chance encounter I had in April 2011.  It was the night before the Boston Marathon and my family went to a Restaurant for dinner to meet some Cousins we have who live in Boston.  At the table next to us was a large group including an older man and a man in a wheelchair.  As my family left our table the party next to us asked "who was running tomorrow?"  Someone pointed at me and they wished me luck, someone from our group told me that is "Team Hoyt."

I had not thought about this encounter until the middle of July this Summer, when I decided to google the man`s name. The father`s name is Dick Hoyt, his son`s is Rick.  The son was born with a severe case of Cerebral palsy.  Dick pushed his son in his wheelchair for a short race over thirty years ago.  Rick told his father "he felt like he was running the race."
Dick said "that was all he needed to hear."

They have completed over 70 full marathon`s together, including 30 Boston Marathons.

They have completed 247 triathlons together.

They have completed 1 077 total races together.

If interested I would highly recommend looking up "Team Hoyt I can only Imagine on YouTube" as this video shows how much sacrifice this Father does in the course of a race, this particular one is in Hawaii and is an Ironman triathlon. They have inspired more people then they will ever know.

Their theme is "Yes you can." To say the least I was very inspired as I watched and thought about the Love and sacrifice that this Father was willing to endure to help his son.

 

 

I realized in a strange way my biggest contribution to Ratanak and the exploited children in Cambodia seems to be the unique ability to run full Marathon`s and until I am not able to I should continue this pursuit. The question then became which marathon should I aim for?

Before the Toronto Marathon I thought if I run a B.Q. short for Boston Qualifying time I would have to consider running in The Boston Marathon next year.  I even had a future title penned Back to Boston.  I finished ten seconds short of a B.Q. time, so this was out of the question for this year.

I then thought a perfect race would be a marathon in one of the American States close to the Canadian border in the spring providing it would fall within my work schedule.

I choose this because I figure my family deserves some sort of a mini-vacation for their support.  By going to the United States my family could do some shopping on the day when I recover from the marathon. I can run a full marathon, but within ten minutes at a crowded shopping mall I have been known to get headaches, dizzy, nauseous etc. Believe me this is a win win situation for me and my family.

Now I had to decide which marathon to run in. Buffalo has a marathon in the spring, but I felt not this year perhaps in the future. New Jersey has one as well, but at a recent wedding my family attended.  A couple told me it took them eight and a half hours to make the trip to Mississauga from New Jersey.  I felt this was a little on the long side. Michigan has a marathon as well, but this is its second year and I felt there could be some organization problems. Pennsylvania has one called the "North South Marathon."  Each participant has to wear either a grey or a blue shirt symbolizing the side they would support in the American Civil War (I am not joking).  Although one year I would like to run for the side that fought against Slavery I felt this was not the year so I took a pass. A sign part way through my runs in the Ravine mentions that this trail is "the Etobicoke Creek Trail.

 

It starts in Toronto, winds through Mississauga, continues through Brampton and upon completion will end up in Caledon some 50 kms away from the start.

I thought of the four Marathons I have run in, and their Cities:

Mississauga         Mississauga Marathon`s 2009-2010
Toronto                Toronto Marathon 2012
Brampton             Boston Marathon 2011
Caledon               Cleveland Marathon 2013

I know absolutely nothing about Cleveland.There is a lot of positive`s however, the date May 19 fits in with my work schedule and I will only have to take minimal time off.  This is also on Victoria day so my Daughter`s will not have to miss much time at school.  The Hotels I have looked up are about half the price of Boston, also it is not as far as a drive.  On the website participants are encouraged to send out inspiring stories of why they have chosen to run this marathon, and I have sent my story in.

Some possible challenges are Gloria will have to work on the Friday before the marathon so I may be driving to a City I have never been to at night, also May 19 is the latest date I have ever run a marathon on and I fear like Betty White`s sitcoms title it may indeed be "Hot in Cleveland" for this marathon.

So now for the fun. I will begin training for this in September.  I have hopefully learned how to be ready for a marathon and I will slowly build the necessary miles allowing me to complete a full marathon.

 

This means I will have to start having Epsom/Sea salt baths again.

This means I will have to figure out how to make my work`s allotted funding for Massage Therapy (hi Melanie) and Acupuncture (hi Esther) last.

This means I also will again become a frequent shopper at the Running Room Outlet store (hi Carey).
This means my house will again have the aroma of Tiger balm.
This means I will have to get used to sleeping with ice packs under whichever body part hurts most again.
This means my seven hours of sleep I am getting in the Summer will be a thing of the past.
This means my family and coworkers will see me a little more tense, a little more on edge.
This means so much to me I am excited just typing this out.

In the Movie "How to train your Dragon" a boy named Hiccup befriends a Dragon named Night Fury in secret, as Hiccup is a Viking and Dragons are Viking`s enemies. Night Fury`s tail was wounded when Hiccup caught it so Hiccup designed something which allowed the Dragon to fly.  A very moving scene is when Hiccup who lost his own leg in a fight with a huge dragon securing Night Fury`s freedom walks outside for the first time with his prosthesis.  Hiccup walks over to Night Fury and is able to ride his Dragon again.

In the Bible Jacob had a wrestling match with the Angel and walked with a limp for the rest of his life. Dick Hoyt who I mentioned earlier has had some Injuries requiring Surgeries which are the result of running so many races with his son. I have came to realize there is something very beautiful in being willing to sacrifice for someone or thing, even to the point of injury. I hope that what I perceive as a sacrifice that some may find Beautiful.

I sent a copy of the Hoyt`s story to Brian McConaghy founder and Director of Ratanak International. This is his response "Such a picture of a father`s love.  An illustration of God`s love for us.  We are told to run the race but in actual fact we are carried.  Every day of our Christian walk we are carried.  Until one day we will be carried over the finish line and credited with all the work that was not ours.  The "well done faithful servant will be the result of us being carried and placed at the foot of the throne by Grace.  Our only effort was to accept the offer of being carried and yet God credits us with being "runners" amazing!

My first reaction was to think of the incredible Humility this man has as if anybody could feel a little pride for the lifelong pursuit of sacrifices trying to bring freedom to the children in Cambodia surely Brian would be the one.  As I thought about his word`s for a few days I saw where his illustration actually is a recurring story in my races. 

I am far removed from the naive person who said five years ago I was going to run a Marathon.  My eyes have been opened to the physical difficulty, as well as the emotional and especially spiritual challenges. I start out each year strong, Healthy, and positive. During the course of my training there always is some pain or injury to work around.  I usually try to train harder then the actual race will be.  I try to run more Hills then the marathon will have.  Last year I ran a training run of 28 miles which is longer then an actual marathon.  I run on a treadmill at my Gym at least once a week to help with speed and also to get used to the uncomfortable heat that hits me in a very poorly ventilated area.  In spite of all this I seem to have a huge surprise in many of my races.

In a 10.8 km race called the Egg Nog Jog in Halton Hills last December, A man started chanting "Me Ha My, Me Ha My, Me Ha My." and tried to pass me at the 6km mark, for some reason I sped up and raced ahead of him. About a minute later the same man came up beside me only this time I could swear I heard him saying "They are Mine, They are Mine, They are Mine." in reference to the children in Cambodia, again I sped up and raced ahead of him. Third time I hear him coming again, louder this time "They are Mine!, They are Mine!, They are Mine!"  I said "No they`re Not, No they`re Not, No they`re Not and again refused to let him pass."  This man did not pass me before the finish line.

At the 2009 Mississauga Marathon I wrote about the lady who followed me up the steepest Hill and used my body to shield her from the 50 km/hr Wind, at the top of the Hill she said ”thanks I would not have made it without you."  I wrote about how the girls from the NewSong Center have to climb a steep hill every day for the rest of their lives and how I have to be willing to take on some of their burdens in leading them up this Hill. 

At the 2010 Mississauga Marathon I ran the last 14 kms with severe cramping in five separate muscles in my legs, yet this is also when I wrote about the girls being represented by the rocks I picked up on my longest training runs calling out "No more Auction block for me" as I ran.  At the end of the race I wrote about seeing all 13 girls appear to me singing about their freedom.

The 2011 Boston Marathon`s race was not that eventful, however a computer Crash on the day of registration had me giving up on running in this race, until one night two months after the crash an email appeared to Gloria`s email account, not mine asking me to complete my Boston registration form.  A friend who is an I.T. specialist told me this was impossible and stated that "I have friends in high places."

Last year`s 2012 Toronto Marathon I trained for a lot of things, however I did not train for the dehydration and cramping that resulted from being able to have only one cup of water the last 12 kms of the Race. At the beginning of each marathon race I start out strong.  I feel like I am the father and I am carrying the girls from Cambodia to the finish line.  Something unexpected seems to happen and I feel I cannot take another step.  This is when I usually utter what I have come to know as my marathon prayer out of desperation.  God then answers it and I become like the son Rick while God carries me to the finish line.  The interesting thing is that I have had some races with no problems at all, these are usually the ones in which I place much closer to the front; and yet when I am struggling so much to finish, the times when I feel God has to carry me to help me finish, these are the times when my most powerful writing comes out.

I wish everything goes perfect from now until May 19.  I hope I have an easy race with no drama at all, I hope I raise a lot of funding and awareness for Ratanak International with little effort and excitement, but I am not counting on it.

To close, this Summer I realized how much time and energy I waste on issues that don`t really matter, and how much more efficient I could be if I learned to ignore what does not matter and take stands on only the important issues.

The next words are from a commercial by the company Tap Out which is huge in the Mixed Martial Arts community.

My fight matters.  Does yours?

In everyday life fights materialize.
No championship belts.  No grand prize.
Just the reason you rise and strive to overcome.
It`s not about the battles won.
It`s what you stand for.
It`s sacrificing your comfort, and carrying on for a cause.
It`s for self satisfaction and not the applause.
It`s tearing down walls.
It`s what your exercising your might for.
My fight matters.  Does yours?

Larry

Ratanak 2012 5km Walkathon

May 17, 2010

 “ For a marathon runner, Boston is the place to be. Three months ago, I noticed my training times were on pace to qualify me for the 2011 Boston Marathon. I kept this to myself, but qualifying for the event became my goal. One day while running, I decided to aim for Boston and use the knowledge, experience, contacts and credibility to organize a small 5km walk/run for Ratanak International.”

June 6, 2011

“500,000 people came to Boston to watch the marathon. $125 million dollars were generated for the city. It caused me to dream of having that kind of support for Ratanak International. I dreamed that one day could be set aside in the many places Ratanak has reached. I thought of Mississauga, Toronto, Vancouver, Saskatchewan, Winnipeg, Ottawa, Buffalo, Calgary, England, Ireland, Australia, and even Cambodia. I saw the girls from NewSong taking part in their own 5km walk. It would be a day when people around the world could walk or run in support of those who cannot. A day that is coming!”

As a boy, I remember watching The Odd Couple on TV. The characters were Oscar and Felix. In my own life recently, I was part of a couple that, if not odd, was definitely different. The Felix of this partnership is Paul, Toronto Ratanak representative.

And the Oscar is me, Larry, Ratanak volunteer.

The modern Felix loves music, plays the guitar and his house is full of Beatles memorabilia.
The modern Oscar loves sports and has tried every one; his house still has old hockey equipment and even his old boxing gloves.
The modern Felix works for a city and is a computer genius.
The modern Oscar works for a billion-dollar corporation and is constantly asking one of his daughters for help on the computer.
The modern Felix took part in one bike race - without endangering Lance Armstrong’s records.
The modern Oscar has run many races, and although he’s never quite met the high standards his daughters expect of him, has always finished in the top half of each race.
The modern Felix is a man who smiles all the time and is full of grace.
The modern Oscar rarely smiles, and longs for and admires people who have so much grace.
The modern Felix is optimistic and stays cool under pressure.
The modern Oscar is realistic and can unravel when pressure comes his way.

Putting our skills together, we were able to bring my dream to life: on June 2 in Erindale Park, Mississauga, we held the first-ever Ratanak 5km walkathon. We also had great support from our families and the City of Mississauga staff, and the support and prayers of the Toronto Core Group.

My first venture with Paul was to open a bank account to ensure proper bookkeeping for the event. Paul, always a planner, booked an appointment with a bank representative and off we went. Two minutes in, things were not going well: the bank employee asked to see a letter from the government proving Ratanak’s charitable status. (We hadn’t brought it with us.) We left the bank and wondered what to do next. We walked into another bank without an appointment and waited a while, but we were able to leave with what we needed.

Looking back, I realize this was the way most things went for this event. Paul took over the registration and had more than a few challenges in setting up the website. For me, one of the most challenging days was the day before the event. I had the day off work and had a long list of last-minute stops. For people who do not live in Toronto, the weather that day may have been the worst I can remember. It rained the whole day, heavy rain that comes in sideways, leaving you soaked and shivering within seconds. The wind reached 80 kph, and was strong enough to move my van on the highway. I got drenched at each stop and had trouble seeing the road through the rain. I stopped listening to the weather forecast for Saturday because I pictured Paul and myself being the only two people at the event. The City of Mississauga sent me three emails voicing their concerns about how the “inclement weather” would affect the event.

But the lowest point happened on Friday night. Gloria, my beautiful and amazing wife, and I set out to measure and mark the course. The rain and wind did not relent; parts of the course were full of water, so staying dry was not an option. A short way after the 2km mark we had to stop. Water from the Credit River had flooded onto the course and there was no way to walk through the knee-deep flood. Going home, I thought to myself that this event may become the Ratanak 4.2km walkathon. Earlier in the day, I thought maybe Satan had the weather for today, but I trusted God would reserve the weather for tomorrow. We had set the date months in advance when the weather was unpredictable. I had trusted that God would provide a nice day.

After returning home, I gathered my courage and looked at the Weather Network. The rain was supposed to stop at four o'clock in the morning. It was to start again at noon. I thought to myself that God had indeed set aside this place in time for an event to bless His precious children of Cambodia.

A few more snags awaited me on the day of the event. The 401 west was closed and some volunteers were a few minutes later than planned. My stopwatch refused to start, so we decided to time the event with the clock on Gloria’s phone. After a bit more juggling, the event was ready to start. Then the participants were off.

Fifty-five people took part. No records fell, but a few people ran impressive times. Runners always ask each other about their best times, and it makes me think of a shirt someone wore in a recent race. The shirt said, “Ask me about my best time.” I loved the answer: “My best time is the time I raised enough money to send a child with cancer to camp for a week.” The best time on Saturday was a group of amazing participants who braved a chilly, overcast day, an equally amazing group of volunteers who put up with me patiently and lovingly, and my “Felix” who registered and tracked donations and even checked people off as they finished. The best time was knowing that 55 people walked a total of 275 km, and raised over Seven Thousand dollars to help many children in Cambodia get a second chance in life.

I always see images in the races I run and write about them. Because I was busy on Saturday, I only saw one, yet it is an extremely powerful and beautiful image. My sister-in-law, Natalie, brought her almost-two-year-old daughter, beautiful Evangeline, to take part in the event. Natalie ran most of the race and carried Evangeline on her back.

I was standing near the finish line to greet each participant. When Evangeline saw me, she made a fuss and told Natalie she wanted to run to Uncle Larry. I watched in amazement as Natalie and my wife, Gloria, each took one of Evangeline’s hands, and the three of them finished the race running together. I thought to myself that this a picture of what is happening today. Money raised from events like this take exploited children out of places of danger and place them safely on the back of someone who loves them and is willing to carry them when they are weak and vulnerable. In time, the children will heal enough and be able to run on either side of the people who love them. Although Evangeline couldn’t run by herself on Saturday, one day she’ll be able to. In Cambodia this is already happening, as some of the very first Newsong girls, girls who have been horrifically abused, have been accepted and are going to University.

Gary Haugen, the founder of International Justice Mission and author of the book Good News About Injustice, starts his book with the words, “As the father of four small children I find myself thinking more and more about the core gift I would like to give them to take into the world.” He went onto say he wished to give them courage.

As the father of two not-so-small children, I would like to give them a gift. The gift I would like to give is “to look down, and not up.” By that, I mean, “Don’t look up at people who are more successful or have more money than you. Don’t look up at people who are more famous or more attractive than you. Look down toward people who have less than you and who need help. Look down and offer whatever you can: your time, your money, your love. Look down and thank God for each and every blessing He has given you, and share them with people who need them most.”

My two daughters continually amaze me. They both are light years ahead of where I was in terms of helping others when I was their ages. Katarina wrote about the Michael Jackson song “Man in the Mirror” and what it meant to her. She was singled out for praise from her teacher for her depth of understanding at such a young age.

An idea in the note we handed out to each participant came from Isabella. We gave out this note, along with a ball on Saturday:

“Two Dollars or Priceless”

Thank you for taking the time and effort to participate in the first-ever Ratanak 5km walkathon. Take this gift from us as a reward, a prize for your hard work. I know it does not look like very much, but please read on!

Today this event benefited children in Cambodia whose start in life was something most of us cannot even imagine.

The shirt you were given has the words “Not Forgotten” written on it. Ratanak International, the non-profit organization that will receive 100% of today’s donations, has not forgotten these children. Each volunteer who helped with today’s event has not forgotten these children.

The ball you are holding was bought at a dollar store. The purchase price for all of these balls could have purchased two children in Cambodia. This ball has no value; it is a disposable item. The children you walked for today, at one time, had a lot in common with this ball, but NOT ANYMORE!

These are the words from a ten-year-old girl born in Canada. Her hope is that she can help a ten-year-old girl in Cambodia. This is what this ball means to her. My hope is that, for some of you, her words will ring true:

“This ball is a clear and see-through plastic. It has hundreds of little pieces surrounding a little ball inside the rubber. When you bounce the ball, the little ball inside the big ball lights up very bright and glows for a very long time.”

“The little ball represents the exploited children in Cambodia. The many little pieces surrounding the little ball represent all the people who work to help free these children. When the children are free, the light is able to shine brightly through them and eventually by them.”

So what is next for me? In Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, Solomon talks about a time for everything. Verse 3 talks about a time to kill and a time to heal. Verse 8 talks about a time for war and a time for peace.

I have been to war twice in the last three weeks. It has taken a heavy toll on me. It took my body ten full days to recover from the Toronto Marathon. Planning the Ratanak 5km was a different sort of stress. I have given my heart and soul for the children of Cambodia for the last six years. I am taking the summer off; I think the word is a sabbatical. I am watching my daughter play soccer and my other daughter take Zumba classes. We are planning to go to the beach. I am going to try to catch up on a mountain of yard work. I may rework some old writings. I am going to pray. I am going to rest, and I am going to come back in September hopefully a stronger, more efficient and wiser advocate.

After the last marathon I wrote that it might be my last. A lady named Annie asked me twice if this was so and even had Gloria ask me. I ran 10 seconds slower than a Boston qualifying time so the Boston Marathon 2013 is not an option for me. Annie, I still don’t know, although I admit I have googled upcoming marathons in American cities for May 2013. Cleveland has one that fits my work schedule and has a question on their web page encouraging participants to send them the reason they choose to run in this marathon, with publicity and prizes being sent to inspirational stories. Annie, stay tuned.

In closing, my amazing editor told me amidst her sea of corrections in my last writing that perhaps I should identify what my Core Group is, as people reading this may not know what the words mean. My rebellious nature raised up and I ignored this suggestion. Sorry if I leave anyone out.

The Toronto Ratanak Core Group was founded by:

Lisa, a lady with a background in finance
Here are some of the people in our group
Paul, who works for the city
Jessika, who works in a law firm
Me, the marathon runner
Tori, an Engineering student who designs and sells the Not-Forgotten shirts
John, who works with seniors
Joy, a piano teacher
Linda-Ruth, a lawyer who decided to be a stay-at-home mother to raise her daughter
Janice, who works in business
Sarah, who works for another city and creates beautiful jewellery to raise money for Ratanak in her spare time
Esther, an acupuncturist
Mary, who works with challenged children
Mir-ha, a school teacher
Susan, who helps troubled women
Hilary, a pastor`s wife
Phil, I do not know his vocation but he is a great photographer
Isabelle, a teacher

If I were putting together a group to raise awareness for the children in Cambodia, I would start with a lawyer, a doctor, a police officer, a soldier, a pastor, a politician, many counsellors, and I would add a few movie stars, rock stars and a billionaire or two. This is the army I would pick to fight for the children in Cambodia. Funny how things work in God’s economy. My group has very few, if any, from my list. What we have is a united group that believes we are weak and insignificant individually, but together with God leading us, we are crazy enough to believe we can make a difference in this world.

The man who helped me set up this blog was amazed at how many hits it has received, as several websites have picked it up, allowing access to people in parts of the world I never could have imagined. Possibly you are one of them. Possibly you are moved, and even challenged by some of this writing. Possibly you are wondering what there is you can do to help someone but think you don`t have the skills.Cambodia may not be your calling. Many other parts of the world need people to help.I encourage you to take whatever you have to offer and jump in wholeheartedly. You will never regret this decision.

Larry 

2012 Toronto Marathon

2009 Mississauga Marathon 3 Hours 42 Minutes
2010 Mississauga Marathon 3 Hours 19 Minutes
2011 Boston Marathon 3 Hours 25 Minutes
2012 Toronto Marathon

Four years, four full marathons, 109 miles, and more than 14 hours of running on concrete and asphalt. Another year, another marathon finished. Are my days of running marathons finished as well? I truly don’t know. When I crossed the finish line I thought they were, but now I’m not so sure.

I sent the following to a major running magazine, which asked the question, “Why do you run?” I run for many of the same reasons as other Canadian runners. I started running as a form of cross training in my exercise program. However, I believe my reasons for running marathons may be unique, and I would like to share them:

• I run marathons to help fund a project called the NewSong Center in Cambodia, which is supported by the organization Ratanak International. At the center, sixty girls rescued from the sex trade are counselled, educated, and taught survival skills.
• I run marathons for these Cambodian girls who are between three and nineteen years old.
• I run marathons to raise awareness for the two million girls worldwide who are forced into prostitution.
• I run marathons to show my daughters that nothing is impossible, and that it is never okay to give up. Nothing and no one should stop someone from pursuing a dream.
• I run marathons because my father always told me, “One man can make a difference.” Running marathons has allowed me to try to be that man.
• I run marathons because I can. The girls I run for sometimes can’t even walk.
• I run marathons because even the hills in Boston can’t compare to the hills these girls must overcome in their daily lives.
• When I run marathons, the pain I experience is temporary, but it reminds me of the pain these girls must bear. And the marathon training, in a very small way, reminds me of the girls’ everyday struggles.
• I run marathons because I am not smart enough to stop. This year I completed the Toronto GoodLife marathon to help bring new life in Cambodia.
• I run marathons because now that I’ve started, I can’t see myself stopping.
• I run marathons because when my life is over, the “thank you” of even one young girl will mean more to me than any title, position, or money I could earn.

In summary, I run marathons because even though they are more demanding than I could have ever dreamed or imagined, when I cross the finish line, I wouldn’t trade my sense of contentment and well-being even to win the races.

At a core group meeting, a friend referred to me as a fundraiser, which I find amusing—nobody likes asking people for money less than I do. I once told Lisa Cheong who is in Cambodia doing work for Ratanak right now that if I worked somewhere for minimum wage instead of putting in hours and hours of marathon training, I would probably raise more money for Ratanak than I do running.

On Sunday, as I ran through downtown Toronto, I passed elaborate displays of wealth and splendour in the business area. The major banks had massive buildings for their headquarters. In my limited time as a fundraiser, I’ve found that small-business owners and average people have been very supportive of my cause. Large businesses have not contributed anything. I wonder why. Do big businesses look at what they can get out of their giving? For example, is the problem of childhood obesity in Canada worse than the plight of young children forced to work in the brothels of Cambodia? As I ran today, I thought that if even one of these corporations were to make a contribution from their wealth, so many more children could be helped.

Today was a first: my former fundraising manager and biggest supporter, my father, did not come to this race. He is recovering from two recent operations. Instead, my family Gloria, Katarina, Isabella, Gloria’s mother (Nona), and I piled into our van at 6:15 a.m., and they dropped me off at the starting line. I was very tired as, in keeping with tradition, I slept fewer hours than I will run.

The first part of the race was uneventful and was a nice course as I ran through parts of downtown Toronto that I rarely get the chance to see. I hit the halfway point and was feeling strong; the time was not my best, but it was something I could live with, and I thought I could keep up the pace for the whole race.

At the 30-km mark, a feeling like an electric current started tingling in my right quadriceps. In the past, this has been a warning signal that severe cramping is about to begin. The current spread to my calf, and I felt the first spasm start. I placed my hand on my leg and said a quick prayer. The pain relented a bit, and I thought back to my longest day of training. On that day, I had the choice to wake up at 5 a.m. to get my long run in, or go to an early church service and run afterward.

The weather report the night before called for heavy rains all day. Crossing my fingers, I decided against the early wake-up and went to church. Wrong move. I could hear the rain pounding on the church roof, and driving home, I knew I had a miserable run ahead of me. Isabella asked many times, “Why do you have to run today?” It was hard to explain, but striking a delicate balance between family time and work requires days when I have to run. At just one month away from the marathon, I couldn’t put off my run until the next day. Sorry, Izzy. Rain or not, I had to run.

I have to be creative and design a training course that allows me to be outside for more than three hours. I ran Centennial hill a few times. In an earlier posting, I wrote that this hill is symbolic of the young girls in Cambodia as they get a fresh start in life.

Later on, as I ran past an empty golf course, I felt a sharp pain start in my right calf. Those who know me well know this is the same problem that almost stopped my marathon career before it even started. I’ve had no problem with my calf all year, and sensing where this attack was coming from, I started yelling angrily at the top of my lungs:

No more auction block for them

No more, no more
No more auction block for them
Many thousands gone
No more strange man’s hands on them
No more, no more
No more beatings for them
Many thousands gone
No more rapes of them
Many thousands gone
No more auction block for them
No more, no more
No more auction block for them

This is a song I came across two marathons ago, it is a song sung by Slaves freed in the United States I changed a few words to make it more appropriate for child slaves, the words sums up why I run marathons and my belief that the exploited children in Cambodia can and will have a new life.

The pain went away and I continued my run. Right after this, a different sort of writing came into my head. I wrote down the words after I finished.

There is a place that I know

That mortal men should fear to go.
It is a place of depravity and shame,
A place where its leader was once called Cain.
The children who are kept in this place
Suffer much disgrace.
They are held against their will
And beaten and made to lie still.

This is a place that should be dark,

Yet I see a tiny spark,
A ray of hope in this domain.
One day the light will surely reign.

I am called to run this race,

And this is where I see God’s face.
I stumble often, He picks me up.
I know this place is my cup.

The voice tells me I am weak and small,

One day I believe this giant will fall.
This giant feeds on fear and wrath.
One day this giant will be snapped in half.

The giant is an awesome beast.

The children are its favourite feast.
The place I see I hate to go,
Yet something draws me, this I know.

I finished the rest of this training run, setting a new record of 3 hours, 46 minutes, and pronounced myself on track for the upcoming marathon.

The pain in my legs brought me back to the reality of the race, and I thought to myself that this was going to be a tough finish. A friend recently told me that God is everywhere. Sometimes I find it hard to believe God is in the brothels of Cambodia, but I have no doubt that He was at the 32-km mark.

Every race has photographers taking pictures of runners during the event, hoping to sell pictures afterward. I always find it amusing when people tell me to smile. I find it hard to smile for a family portrait. But after the first half of the marathon was finished, when the pain had really started up, there was no way I was going to look happy for a picture. But this was an exception. I didn’t smile; I actually laughed. Why? A band by the roadside was playing an old song by the White Animals. It was none other than “Gloria.” A reminder of my most beautiful wife at this point in the race kept me going.

As I ran through a park, the promised water stations weren’t there, a sign of things to come. The cramping had made me change my stride, and I took very small steps trying to continue. At the 35-km mark, there was a huge commotion. Isabella saw me and ran excitedly beside me. (I thought of giving her my racing bib as she was running so much faster than I was.) Then Nona yelled my name and crossed into the path of runners. Katarina was so excited, she ran towards me, leaving her two-year-old niece in the swing by herself. Isabella asked how I was doing. I said, “No good,” and pointed at my right leg, shaking my head.

At the 36-km mark, the water station had plenty of water and Gatorade but no cups. This was my low point. Looking back, I realize that quitting a marathon has never been an option for me. I remember two fellow runners in Boston talking about the $20 they had stashed for cab fare, in case they couldn’t finish. Many times on Sunday, I saw people stop running and head off the course. But I can’t ask people to sponsor me for a full marathon and only run half. In a way, I am offering a pound of my flesh. I believe there is also something deeper at play here. I cannot quit, because if I do, I believe I am giving up on the girls in Cambodia.

Then the toughest moment was upon me. My left quadriceps started to spasm, and I had to stop running to stretch out both legs. I started moving slowly, no longer worried about my time. After walking a bit, I sent out another quick prayer, which seems to be a common part of my marathons: “I ask that I may finish this race running, not walking.” I feel it’s important to finish strong. The first few steps were torture, but I kept going. I said to myself, “NewSong girls, you must carry me now.”

The rest of the race was a blur. I moved slowly, and many runners passed me. Right before the finish line, I saw beautiful Gloria cheering me on, and I crossed the line running. I saw that my time was 3 hours, 35 minutes, and I confess I was disappointed - I thought I should have run much faster. After rehydrating myself, I found Gloria through the mob of people. She hugged me, and a wave of emotion hit me. I couldn’t speak for a few minutes. She thought my disappointment with my time caused this, but when I could speak, I told her I realized this may be my last marathon; what the races have come to mean to me hit me all at once. In my last blog, I posted this picture and wrote about everything that is wrong with it and how it affects me.

 

These are lyrics from a Mumford & Sons song:

How fickle my heart and how woozy my eyes

I struggle to find any truth in your lies

Lend me your eyes I can change what you see
But your soul you must keep, totally free

To me, the lyrics relate to the picture and mean this: The picture represents the estimated two million children worldwide forced to work as prostitutes. It’s an enormous problem that you and I will never be able to solve in a hundred lifetimes. The “lie” in the song is that we can do nothing. But instead of looking at all that’s wrong with the picture, we can look at it as an opportunity. Look at it and ask yourself what you can do to change the life of one of these children.

A few years ago, I said I wanted to raise enough money to keep a young girl out of a brothel and safe in a place like NewSong for one year. Wednesday, during my last run before the marathon, I felt that this has been accomplished. Think about it. Besides being a father or husband, what greater reward could I receive than the knowledge that my work of the last four years has indeed kept one of these precious children safe?

Larry