Giving Thanks: Claire A. Williams
11.26.08 | in Hella Sound | 0 Comments Share
As we enter the holiday season and pause to give thanks, Hope Runs has found new ways to give hope for the future to the world's impoverished communities.
Thursday is Thanksgiving in America; we gather with friends and family, enjoy a traditional feast, give thanks and reflect on the blessings we've been given. While most folks stop there, some of us go a step further, donating our time and money to charities, or performing fundraising ventures through races.
Marathoner Claire A. Williams has gone farther. Much farther. Inspired during an adventure trip through Africa, Claire co-founded a non-profit organization Hope Runs, benefiting orphaned and vulnerable children in impoverished communities. Through exposure to blogging and a structured running program, Hope Runs seeks to engender an understanding of health, social entrepreneurship and technology. The children even maintain a blog at Tumaini Kids!.
As the program has expands to other communities, and Claire is now training for another ambitious goal to raise funds and awareness: the 777 Marathon Challenge, an international competition to run 7 marathons on 7 continents in just 7 weeks—in Guinness World Record-breaking time.
Interview
Hella Sound: You found the Tumaini Children's Home during an eight-month trip around the world—were you basically adventure-seeking? Hiking, climbing, traveling, etc? Or did you go with the goal of finding an opportunity like the one at Tumaini?
Claire A. Williams: Not at all! We just went to travel. We did do a lot of athletic stuff on the trip—most notably climbing to Everest Base Camp—but we never had intentions of finding an orphanage to live in! The reason we came to Kenya in the first place was to climb Mt. Kenya. Someone had suggested we stay overnight at the guest house of an orphanage near the mountain and essentially we never left! I still haven't climbed Mt. Kenya!
HS: How is the Tumaini Children's Home doing?
CW: Tumaini is an amazing place. With 170 children and just a few staff members, it relies on the excellent behavior and spirits of the kids to run well. I have never seen children and teens so responsible and amazing. It is truly a joy to watch how privileged the kids feel to live at Tumaini, and my greatest wish is that they could have more resources to reach their dreams! As you might imagine, Tumaini is struggling financially and this is an on-going problem. Every day we worry that one more child won't be able to attend college next year. This month, we are trying to raise funds to send the kids to the Nairobi Marathon!
HS: Have you always been an athlete? A runner?
CW: Never in a serious way! I used to run for fun, but not until 2005 did I train for my first marathon. Then I got hooked.
HS: Are you currently training for a race?
CW: Yes! I'm training for another marathon right now! Mostly though I am working to stay in shape for the 777 Marathon Challenge Hope Runs and IBECOME are hosting in 2010. It's going to be fantastic and we are so excited! However - 7 marathons on 7 continents in 7 weeks is definitely something I want to be in shape for.
HS: How do you find the time to get training in? Any tips for juggling a hectic schedule?
CW: Make it a daily practice! I keep a running tips blog (Running On Hope) and one of the tips I come back to most often is the fact that you simply MUST make running part of your routine. The vast majority of exercise plans that involve running after work or "when you have time" fail. The absolute best way to still be running a year from now is to do it first thing in the morning!
HS: Has Hope Runs changed you as a runner?
CW: Absolutely. Not only do I simply like running more (because I have so many amazing memories from the last few years associated with it), but I have seen how important running is to changing people's lives. It has changed mine, and it has changed the lives of so many of our kids as well.
HS: I would imagine the answer to this is obvious, but who inspires you (athletically as well as in general) most?
CW: The kids!! Nine year old Kenyans in prom dresses holding my hands as we run! (however exhausting I find it to actually hold hands with people while running....;))
HS: Did you watch this year's Summer Olympics? If so, have your travels changed your perspective on how you view the event?
CW: It was particularly fantastic to watch the Kenyans, and to think of the kids in our programs in Tanzania and Kenya getting so excited to watch them.
HS: Your four existing programs are in Kenya and Tanzania; are you currently working on a site in Argentina?
CW: I am based out of Argentina so it is absolutely on my radar. After I finish business school this year at Oxford, I would love to be able to try to find a way to help some of the amazing kids in this country.
In addition to being featured in Runner's World, Claire maintains Tripping on Words with her Hope Runs partner Lara Vogel, as well as her own fitness blog Running On Hope.
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