MARATHON TEAM: " C L I C K F O R A B R I C K ! "
We did it! Carl 3:15, Bethany 3:19, James Legros 3:29, Ivar 3:47, Roz 3:51, Sam 3:53, Sarah, Tegla & Toby 3:54, Wams 3:47, Tony 4:08, Shon 4:30... still getting the results- we had a FAB day, great coverage and lots of press! Thanks to all!
HERE we are, one week away! Today I got the T shirts for the team. The fund raising is at 500,000+ which is simply superb, and before the marathon we were at (was it) 428,000? Which shows a great amount. But what really warms me more than money is that people's enthusiasm is so great for this. I have been talking stage one, stage two (funds coming then building, funds coming then equipping) but really it is beyond this.
Shon Gables from Black Enterprise join the team!! Thanks!
THANKS FOR VISITING THE SHOE4AFRICA MARATHON TEAM WEB SITE!
WE ARE RUNNING TO BUILD A HOSPITAL!
We are looking at big or small contributions! Please CLICK the DONATE button above and be added to the wall of fame (your name will live on this website, & later at the REAL bricks 'n mortar site). Your name, your contribution, for ever. We are looking for a donations of any size to help get this most needed hospital.... WHY NOT? We're doing it -- please help us by supporting our efforts.
Please come and run for Shoe4Africa to help try to build the largest children's hospital in Africa; that is our goal. If you run for us we will take no dollars from your charitable contribution for overheads, costs, admin - you are working hard and all those hard working dollars will go direct to Kenya, thus putting your fund raising effort to work in the fashion you best intended.
Ironically having no operating budget does not allow us to get 'charity rated' but they say you are doing well if 70-cents of your donated dollar get to where you intend; shoot for 100% and get it with us!
THE TAG: The TV show ER ran for fifteen successful years, at its peak with 30-million viewers per week & winning 22-emmy's with 123 nominations. In 2009 the show comes to a stop (boom)... but Doctor Mark Greene runs on, to try to build Africa's largest children's hospital.
One of America's best loved actor's Anthony Edwards, and emmy award winner, put his money where his mouth was and returned "from the dead" in ER's final season on the condition that his $125,000 fee would go to the Hospital fund.
THE HOOK: Tenth Aniversary, in 1999, Toby Tanser (shoe4africa founder) was attacked on the coast of Zanzibar, Africa, whilst researching a book on Kenyan running, and was badly beaten with a machete & a baseball bat... just for his running shoes. "I decided if they were literally trying to kill people for shoes (Toby needed brain surgery & metal head plates for survival, & four separate doctor's told him he should have died) we had to do something about it and get more shoes over there."
Over the last ten years Shoe4Africa has sent thousands upon thousands of running shoes to Africa, including (of course) shoes to the Zanzibar Athletic Federation. Last year Tanser released another book on Kenyan running (MORE FIRE), with 100% of the author royalties going to build this hospital.
THE LINE: Would 1.5 million people donate $10 to support the team in our efforts to build a life-saving, critically needed, children's public hospital in Kenya? Can we virally do this, and do you want to be a part of our team to try this?
And Tegla Loroupe (pictured left), United Nations Ambassador for Sport, a two-time NYC Marathon winner and former world record holder at the distance, is also on the team!
"You know, I cry when I think of Western Kenya and how the people are suffering. It is like you can not imagine. It makes me cry." tegla is looking forward to running at 8:35 min/mile pace, much easier on the body than her 5-minute mile pace that took her to a 2:20 marathon!
Sarah Jones, a Tony winning actress ("One of the best performances I've ever seen." Meryl Streep) is on the team! She will be running her third marathon, but it will be the first for her husband Steve.
"Growing up in Gikambura is an experience I can never forget. I grew up with tonsillitis, a curable sickness still fatal to many in Kenya. I was spared thanks to my move to NY. All it took was a doctor's visit and a week on antibiotics. Not every sick child in Kenya will get to come to the US for medical treatment. But a hospital in their backyard will increase their chances on having a healthy life free of preventable and curable diseases." Wambui Waweru, Shoe4Africa marathon team co-ordinator. [pictured right with Chantel Antonetti].
This year we have a limited number of guaranteed entries for the ING New York City Marathon! We would be delighted to have you sign up and run for the Shoe4Africa Marathon team. You will receive weekly training in Central Park, weekly emails with tips and a schedule from me (our team coach), a team singlet, and more bonus's... for example at our private pasta party Anthony Edwards will cook you your pasta meal!
In the spirit of building the hospital we are looking at designing a special running top, looking somewhat like hospital scrubs, for our unique cause.
Oh, and our expert advise will come from Shoe4Africa ambassador Lornah Kiplagat, the world record holder in the Half Marathon. Group runs in Central Park, each Wednesday night starting in August*, training schedules with emails, (*prior to August all athletes can training for free with the Urban Athletics marathon training group).
We have a great team, and we want our team to be totally involved past the finishing line in helping us do our defining project, which is building the largest children's hospital in Kenya, in Africa.... it is a 250 bed pediatric hospital [St. jude's is 60-bed....]
What you need to do: Be a part of our team. Whether you get in the lottery or not, run for us. You DO NOT have to be a part of the guaranteed entries clause to raise money running this marathon for us.
First step get in touch with us. Remember all the funds you give us (apart from NYRR fees) go directly to building the actual hospital!
ALL DONATIONS are tax deductible if you raise $$ for us. Thanks!
On the team: Anthony Edwards, Bethany Aquilina, Candice MacDonald, Carl Maguire, Chantal Antonetti, Chris Bilsky, Chris Morgenroth, Eileen Casey, Elvis/Sigurjon Sigurjonsson, Francesco Presutti, George Hirsch, Gunnar Gunnarsson, Hilla Medalia, Ivar Josafatsson, Jen Scott, James Legros, Jim Papoulis, Johan Gomez, Jonny Allen, Josh Tous, Kiet Vo, Lenny, Leong Ying, Liz Benintendi, Mark Dorman, Michael Chambers, Michael Patent, Michele Melland, MR. G, Nancy Labinger, Pat Duffy, Paul Castillo, Rafael de Cardenas, Romi Howard, Roselyn Feinsod, Ryan Pakter, Sarah Jones, Shirling Tsai, Shon Gables, Steve Colman, Steve Kasarsky, Sungwong Hwang, Tegla Loroupe, Toby Tanser, Tony Ensinger, Tom Scott, Urban Bettag, Wendy Abma, Wambui Waweru.
