Las Vegas Marathon

It’s Vegas Baby

4:30AM comes early --- especially after only 3 hours of sleep the night before. Pre race jitters are always a problem and sleep comes slowly. The alarm comes much, much too soon. It is cold this December morning --- 36 or 38 degrees. I begin my preparations.

I value warmth early more than cool later so I am bundled up. All systems are on go, the heart monitor is pumping and the liquid fuel is on its way. As we leave for the starting line at 5AM, the locals are still up and enjoying their evening. It is Vegas, after all!

The City has closed the streets on the course already. Getting to the starting line presents a logistical nightmare. Back streets, side streets and 30 minutes to go 5 miles get me to within 6 blocks of the start at the Mandalay Bay resort. The walk helps warm me up. I and 15000 of my closest friends make our way to the start. It is dark and cold but the mood is festive and fun, fireworks start the spectacle in the pre-dawn light. The band plays Viva Las Vegas and Elvis impersonators are everywhere. It is Vegas, after all!

The national anthem is sung and the starting bell is rung. The mass of humanity all moves toward the “Strip”. It takes 16 minutes for all the runners to cross the start line. I am lucky to get across in 12. The Las Vegas strip is still lit up from the night before. Neon and glitz seem strangely out of place on sober Sunday morning yet the brides and bridegrooms running in the crowd feel completely normal. It is Vegas after all!

Even though the starting line has been crossed, running in the crowd is less run and more dodge. There is little chance of hitting race pace these first few miles. The Blue Man group appears at mile 3. Quite a distraction and I stop to watch for a few moments. The streets are lined with spectators cheering the runners on, Starbucks in hand they are bleary eyed and enthusiastic. Signs in hand exhorting Mommy Go! Or Dad Owns! Promoting various causes and teams. Folks are running for Aids, Leukemia, Cancer and more. Team Toyota is out in force. There is some group called the whiners (?) chanting and singing as they run. I must admit to a certain joy when I passed out of earshot of the cheer induced frenzy of that particular crowd. Racers are beginning to stretch out now and the traffic is lighter but still congested at points --- especially in the aid stations. Each aid station is different and many have entertainment. Once again…it is Vegas.

Somewhere around 6 mile or so all the running Elvi (plural for Elvis) are corralled together for an official count and picture. Fat ones, skinny ones, Elvis as Satan, with cape and without, the Elvis impersonator is an icon here. At the same mark the “Run Thru Wedding Chapel” is cordoned off for those needing nuptials on the fly. Tuxedo T-shirts and crinoline running accessories are the order here --- and yes the bride does wear white. I find out later that the preacher finished the ½ marathon after she was done cementing the bonds of matrimony. I mean, really, what else did you expect --- It is Vegas, after all.

Gratitude raises my Attitude

There are police all along the route. Sometimes several of them manning various road closures and bottlenecks along the way, often they are there in their personal vehicles. I make it a point to Thank as many of them as I can as I run past. I am often greeted with ---“No, Thank You” as if I were the one giving up my Sunday morning ritual to stand witness to 15000 folk passing by. I try to Thank a least 2 people in each aid station for their service. This is hard as they are very busy handing and refilling water and Gatorade as fast as humanely possible. With each Thank You I feel my strength surge --- I am lighter. Gratitude creates a positive energy force around my body. I am so fortunate to be running on 2 good legs surrounded by other healthy people served by willing and joyful volunteers. The city of Las Vegas has rolled out the red carpet. Streets are closed and the route is super safe. The sun begins to warm the air, and there is shade to run in as well. It just does not get any better than this.

When the ½ marathoners turn off the traffic congestion disappears. Although I am never really alone, it seems I can finally begin to concentrate on running. The Strip is long past, the mega resorts are out of sight. Although “normal” may not be the exact word, the scenery feels more Rockwell than Kafka. The crowds are thinner now and seem to be mostly waiting for someone in particular. These are the neighborhoods the casual visitor to Las Vegas never sees --- where people live, go to everyday jobs just like you and I. Palm trees are everywhere and the southwest style of architecture dominates. The temperature has reached a pleasant 50 degrees or so in sun, much less in the shade. I am grateful for my sunscreen.

Nothing Exceeds like Excess

15,000 people make quite a mess. I feel sadness as I run the route. Cups are littering the route yards after the aid stations. And not a few cups --- a lot of cups. The volunteers are using huge shovels and rakes to gather the detritus. This is all trash. These cups have wax, so I doubt they are recyclable. I have no idea for an eco-alternative. Perhaps asking runners to provide their own bottles would alleviate the trash. And then there are the “GU” and “Gel” foil packets. They litter the entire 26.2 mile route. I have no idea what the ½ life is of these things but I suspect it is longer than my life. The most appalling thing was the amount of discarded clothing. That’s right --- clothing. T-shirts, jackets, caps, gloves are all along the course. Apparently people just shuck their clothes off as they heat up and leave them behind. I was told later that this is true of most marathon courses. Maybe I am a little weird but I like my jacket and just tie it around my waist when the sun finally begins to warm the air. I don’t think it slowed me up too much. This is a very strange phenomenon and I hope the clothes are gathered and given to those in need. Yes, they have homeless in Vegas too.

To Run is the Thing

I am feeling better, looser as we pass the ½ way mark. I am on pace. I decide that I can run the 2^nd ½ faster than the first ½. My goal is to run a 4:30 today. I am at 2:16 at 13.1 miles. I feel amazingly good. My trepidation rises as we near 17 and then again at 20. These are the points where I have “bonked” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonk_(condition) or “hit the wall” in the past. The “bonk” never comes. I am running faster now than I have in the 1^st half. I try stay focused on gratitude and being in the moment. This is a form of meditation, transcendence, if you will. I hear the occasional bird sing, wave at the spectators, and generally enjoy the connection with this most ancient activity. Running connects us with those most ancient humans who walked and ran from place to place --- all the time. When the first man became bi-pedal so did we all and we still are walking on 2 feet (most of us).

We turn down toward the strip again with about 3 miles left. The crowds start to thicken as the spectators who have now been up for a few hours are joined by newcomers still on their first Starbucks of the day. About a mile out an impromptu aid station is handing out beer. I pass on the brew but several of the racers grab a glass. My head just can’t get around drinking beer with 1 mile to go in a 26 mile race but to each his own I suppose. Once again --- It’s Vegas.

As I turn the corner into the final ½ mile or so I am sprinting --- this is my fastest pace of the day. I feel an exhilaration that comes when everything is just as it should be. My physical body is tired yet energized. Mentally my processes are taking in all the sights and sounds that surround me. The crowds cheering every racer, the announcer shouting each finishers name, the smell of oranges waiting at the table just past the finish line, are all assaulting my input ports. Spiritually, I am full --- of gratitude, of presence. I feel the connection with earth, wind, sky and all the people throughout time. The perfect people were here, doing the perfect thing, all in perfect time. It doesn’t get much better than this.

That’s Vegas Baby!

Namaste

John

After ½ million push ups then What?

I have been mostly quiet since that test week end in September. After the hard push to complete many of the physical goals for the UBBT, I felt the need to look back and take stock. And a need to change my work out regimen!

I have decided to qualify for the Kona Ironman --- 2009. And the Western States 100 mile run --- also 2009. I will be running 2 50 mile foot races in the spring of ’08.

First up is the Grappler’s Quest BJJ tournament in Las Vegas on Dec. 1^st. I will run the Las Vegas marathon the next day on the 2^nd.

As part of my UBBT test I participated in something called New Warrior Training. This training is designed to bring men back to the community of men in a healthy way and have each of us look at our shadows, to integrate our missing initiations into the mysteries of the world and its inhabitants.

I am actively looking for my path in the world. I am feeling called into the shamanic transformational world. I am feeling called to go back to school for some yet unknown destination.

Francesca and I are pursuing the idea of a Spiritual Warriors Conference --- bring the spirit world back into integration with the mind and the body and the heart--- July 2008 in Northern California.

My first daughter is getting married this weekend in Snohomish Washington. I am not really the “father of the bride” since I did not raise this child. But I am invited and I will be there.

I am feeling a lot like the caterpillar in the cocoon --- all gray and mushy and not myself --- not caterpillar and not butterfly. So I continue to put one foot in front of the other and trusting in the process.

More to come!

Namaste

John

Words

While everyone was doing their test performance last week and telling their story, I tried to distill what you were saying, what you had felt or done, who you had been and who you were being. I tried to keep it down to 2 or 3 words that summed up the experience. If I did not capture it correctly I apologize. If I missed anyone (entirely possible as mesmerizing as most of the stories were), I apologize. This is my effort.

Namaste

John

Kelly Abella --- powerful humility

Dani Carroll --- graceful perseverance

Terence Evins --- trusting movement

John Kyle --- inspirational power

Gary Engels --- graceful leadership

Skip Ewing --- moving joy

Craig Johnson --- honest work

Larry Kooyman --- transformational action

Dan Rominski --- spiritual forge

Denice Slater --- heart opening

Dave McNeill --- mindful presence

Leah McNeill --- focused balance

Ray Neill --- service above self

Joel Snyder --- youthful wisdom

Tim Rosanelli --- passionate learning

Dan Sikkens --- full out

Nancy Walzog --- new eyes

Mike Valentine --- successful integration

Joe Sherwood --- magnificent poise

Ten Living Heroes

As I approached this project I realized I hadn’t really
thought about heroes in a very long time. When I was a
child I had heroes like John Kennedy,John Glenn,
John Wayne, Bart Starr, Vince Lombardi,and other figures
in sports, entertainment, and politics.I didn’t really
know about their lives. I didn’t really take the time
to look at their humanness; the part of them that
responded to adversity or were fallible. I only knew
their ages and their overt accomplishments. 

As I grew older my heroes were from the counter culture
nature or had a streak of radical authenticity.People
like Mick Jagger, Carlos Castenada, Timothy Leary,
Ram Dass,and Jimmy Carter.What I admired was their
courage to assert their independence,and their autonomy.
Their actions (admirable in some cases and in so many
cases really harmful to themselves or others)mirrored
my own search for identity.

And then in my twenties the hero button clicked off.
My parents, although heroic in their own relationship,
did not set a model that kept me from divorce in my
own life. I became disappointed in my ability to grow
into a hero.During that same time period, the radiance
of my early heroes paled as their humanness showed
them to be lacking in some character trait essential
to be heroic.  

Recently a friend said she had no heroes --- all her
heroes had let her down. She had expected her heroes
to be super human or perhaps in-human.I noticed that
I felt sad when she said that. Yet, hadn't I done the
same thing?I began to wonder what is the longing to
have a hero?What is missing when there are no heroes
from whom to model our lives?Can we expect heroes
to be perfect in all aspects of their lives? 

Was it fair or reasonable to expect our heroes to be
always perfect?  

Our super heroes have their dark sides and still get
to be heroes.What makes them distinct from someone
who falls from grace when their dark side is revealed?
Why do we still perceive them as heroic? Perhaps what
allows a hero with a dark side to remain a hero is
that they are willing to confront their darkness.What
could be more heroic than looking deep into your own
soul and confronting the demons that reside under the
rocksof your life time’s worth of experience? 

So the first question I must ask is really the only question
worth answering.  What makes a human person a HERO?  

For me a Hero lives a life FULL --- of commitment, of
integrity, of perseverance, of willingness to continue
in the face of long or impossible odds. A hero looks into
their own life, faces its challenges, and uses it to
inspire others to use their lives in the service to others.  

A hero is a source for each of us---A source to connect
with greatness,with immortality. We look back on Gandhi,
King, Lincoln,Achilles, Alexander, and Odysseus and see
them heroic in deeds and words. We see them human in
their weaknesses and fallibilities. We see them
inspirational in their connection with the divine and
willingness to confront the darkness that resides in
men’s souls with out losing their hope for humanity. 

The following people have inspired me. The have inspired
me in a number of realms --- spiritual, physical, mental,
emotional. Each of these people live lives full and I
find their words,deeds, and thoughts both comforting
and confronting. In many cases I have worked with and
communicated with many of these heroes. They are listed
(except for the first one) in no particular order.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama

Compassion in action

In exile since 1959 the Dalai Lama was, until recently, the head of the Tibetan government in exile. He has transitioned the government of Tibet from a Theocracy to a Democracy. He is considered to be the face of the
Buddhist Religion, although he is only the head of the Tibetan Buddhists. Even though the Communist Chinese have been killing the Tibetan people for years (refugees continue to find their way to Nepal and India) he has preached kindness, compassion and understanding for the Chinese government.

His Holiness, the 14^th Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso was born in1935 in a small village in northeastern Tibet. At the age of 2 he was recognized as the reincarnation of his predecessor, the14^th Dalai Lama, and thus an incarnation of Avalokitesvara, the Buddha of Compassion.

His Holiness assumed full political power in 1950 at the age of 15. After 9 years of peace negotiations (the Chinese invaded Tibet in 1950) he escaped to India where he was given political asylum. The Tibetan government-in-exile and His Holiness have resided in Dharamsala, India since that time.

Although the Chinese occupation of Tibet continues to this day, His Holiness has advocated a non-violent resolution to the conflict. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989. The Committee’s citation read, "The Committee wants to emphasize the fact that the Dalai Lama in his struggle for the liberation of Tibet consistently has opposed the use of violence. He has instead advocated peaceful solutions based upon tolerance and mutual respect in order to preserve the historical and cultural heritage of his people." His commitment to compassion and non-violence remain a beacon to the entire world. He has written many books and has had his extensive lectures turned into many books as well.

His Holiness has traveled extensively of the last 40 years, visiting with political and religious leaders through out the world. His is the face of compassion, the living Buddha. Yet he lives as a simple monk, arising at 4AM for morning meditation and finishing each day with evening prayers. In explaining his greatest sources of inspiration, he often cites a favorite verse, found in the writings of the renowned eighth century Buddhist saint Shantideva:

For as long as space endures
And for as long as living beings remain,
Until then may I too abide
To dispel the misery of the world.

His Holiness, the Dalai Lama inspires me that we humans can rise above our egos and our attachments. We can love each and every person, regardless of the wrongs they may have done to us or the world at large.

Dr. Marshall Rosenberg

Founder and Director of the Center for Nonviolent Communication, an international peacemaking and training organization. He is the author of Speak Peace in a World of Conflict, and the bestselling Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life. Dr. Rosenberg has received numerous awards for his work as a peace maker.

At 75 years old Dr. Rosenberg continues to travel and teach extensively throughout the world. He spends more than 250 days each year traveling the globe and teaching Nonviolent Communication in hundreds of local communities, at national conferences, and in some of the most impoverished, war-torn states of the world.

Dr. Rosenberg grew up in a highly turbulent and racially charged Detroit neighborhood. His experiences led him to a keen interest in new forms of communication that would provide peaceful alternatives to the violence he encountered. This interest led to a doctorate in clinical psychology while his life experiences and study of comparative religions motivated him to develop the Nonviolent Communication (NVC) process.

His model of NVC is being usedin prisons, armed conflicts throughout the world, as well as schools and homes the world over. The process starts with empathy and compassion. And it ends with empathy and compassion. He uses puppets and music and a spiritual energy to infuse a room with joy and peace. He truly is building a more peaceful world.

Dr. A.T. Ariyatne

Dr. Ariyatne is the founder of the Sarvodaya Shramadana movement of Sri Lanka. He is the recipient of the 1996 Gandhi peace prize. His organization exists to serve by the sharing of labor, thought and the enlightenment of all. Overthe years Dr. Ari, as he is called, has quietlyfollowed in the footsteps of Gandhi and King in the non violent change movement. His organization, Sarvodaya, has energized Sri Lankans in 15,000 villages to build more than 5,000 pre-schools, community health centers, libraries and cottage industries; establish thousands of village banks; dig thousands of wells and latrines; promote biodiversity, solar energy, rehabilitation…and peace. At the core of Sarvodaya, after all, is belief in one another. Instead of competition, it stresses cooperation. Instead of dogged independence, it promotes interdependence and sharing. In the place of cynicism about our fellow human beings, it offers practical wisdom and hope.

But Dr. A.T. Ariyaratne’s belief remains…in the power of individuals, families, villages, nations…and a world tied together by an awakening of the spirit that breathes life into us all.

Instead of seeing A.T. Ariyaratne as “like” Gandhi or any other great men and women of peace, we need to know him as one man who made a difference for millions through Sarvodaya. His message applies to every corner of the earth where inequity, violence, poverty and hopelessness oppress everyday people struggling to make life worth living. In the spirit of Martin Luther King, he has led peace marches and meditations with millions of poor people. In the mold of Mahatma Gandhi, he has quieted angry masses through his personal example. Like Jimmy Carter, he has successfully mediated intense conflicts and helped build hundreds of homes. Like the Dalai Lama and the world’s greatest preachers, he has an impressive ability to rally ordinary citizens to see the spiritual wisdom of looking beyond their own salvation to help ensure the salvation of others.

What makes Dr. Ari truly unique is his “bottom up” approach. In the face of globalization and world capitalism, people’s lives depend on their next crop and the generous spirit of their neighbors. True community requires nourishing the body and the spirit ; the melding of a sense of mutual responsibility and self help that comes from living the truths of compassion, loving kindness, joy in the happiness of others and equanimity. His work carries an even greater sense of urgency. For 47 years Sri Lanka has been torn apart by civil strife.

His movement is open to anyone. One can visit villages where houses have been built by people of many religions and sit next to each other. And the people tell the stories of close friendships despite the differences in religion and culture. Friendships built on mutual trust and respect. Dr. A.T. Ariyaratne’s belief remains…in the power of individuals, families, villages, nations…and a world tied together by an awakening of the spirit that breathes life into us.

Deepak Chopra

Writer of many spiritual books, Dr. Chopra is both a western medical doctor and an Ayurvedic doctor. Ayurveda treats the entire person using a variety of modalities that get to the root of the problem rather curing the symptoms as allopathic healers do. He is a great believer in Synchro-destiny, a principle that says everything happens because it is supposed to happen and carries a message for our life if we care to listen.

Dr. Chopra was born in 1946 and became a western medical doctor in the late 1960’s. He came to the United States in 1970. By age 35 he was medical Chief of Staff at New England Memorial Hospital. And his life was stressed, marked by too many cigarettes, coffee and alcohol.

Around 1980 Chopra met a master Ayurvedic physician, Brihaspati Dev Triguna, who re-introduced Chopra to this ancient healing path based on balancing the flow of energy in the body. A few years later Chopra met the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the founder of the Transcendental Meditation (TM) movement. The Maharishi was a regular on the talk show circuit and the spiritual advisor to the Beatles.

These two meetings placed Chopra on the path we find him today. A prolific author, he has authored dozens of self-help and spiritual books, hosted innumerable workshops and seminars, and placed him at the forefront of the alternative health movement.

Today the website www.chopra.com features the online store of features "the online store of infinite possibilities." Much of the material is offered free of charge. A different universal law is explained and a new meditation is offered every day. As Uri Geller explained in the Times of London, "Deepak believes in dharma, a force which directs your life when you agree to go with the flow. You cannot shape dharma--it happens. The multiple coincidences that appear to buffet your path are really synchronized aspects of destiny--synchrodestiny. It's an intriguing notion and one which he explains for free online."

Deepak Chopra inspires us to heal ourselves through proper nutrition, meditation, and balancing our energies.

Louise Diamond

I first discovered Louise Diamond when I read a book she wrote called “Courage for Peace.” This book tells real stories of real people she has worked with over her years as professional peacebuilder. The book ripped my heart out. I have read it several times since then and it never fails to move me. I have given copies of the book to several of my friends.

Ms. Diamond has four academic degrees, including a Ph.D. in Peace Studies, and has written four books and innumerable columns and articles. She has been a teacher, therapist, organizational consultant and trainer, healing practitioner, minister, filmmaker, professional peacebuilder, and author. She has worked with individuals, couples, families, organizations, communities, and nations.

She has worked in war zones all over the world, as well as with troubled youth and the terminally ill. She is a cancer survivor three times over, since 1973. She started a company, The Peace Company, to prove that peace can pay in a capitalist society. It has proven exactly that.

Her book, “The Peace Book --- 108 Simple Ways to Make a More Peaceful World” is offered for sale at the Peace Company site at a highly discounted rate. You are requested to give them away! I have given more than 20 copies away myself.

Louise Diamond has made Peace her life and her business. I admire her message:

You too are here to bring peace to our troubled world.
She believes the seed of peace is deeply embedded in our spiritual DNA. The world is crying for us now. We may no longer be silent and still. We must enliven what we know and turn it to action. For the love of peace

Shawn Phillips

Fitness expert, business leader, innovator, and author Shawn Phillips has been helping athletes, celebrities, and tens of thousands of others achieve strong, healthy bodies for over two decades.

He began sharing his expertise on training, nutrition, and supplementation by helping his brother, Bill Phillips (author of the number-one New York Times bestseller Body for Life), write articles and develop programs that were featured in Bill's Muscle Media magazine.

Shawn has appeared on numerous magazine covers, and photos of his physique have been featured in over one hundred magazine articles over the past ten years. A widely published author on the topics of training, nutrition, and the performance mindset, his most recent book, ABSolution: The Practical Solution for Building Your Best Abs, was an instant health and fitness classic and number-one bestseller.

While best known to many for his signature “six-pack abs,” Shawn is better known by his family, close friends, and coworkers as a focused, hardworking, soft-spoken man with a kind heart and an intense passion for helping people achieve their life visions. Shawn lives in the foothills of Colorado with his wife Angie and their son Nathaniel.

Shawn is currently focused on helping people reach their full potential through a more integral version of physical training. He is also a founding member and supporter of The Great American Transformation, a nonprofit organization committed to transforming health and fitness levels in the United States from “worst to first by the year 2012.”

Authors, brothers, and body builders, I had the privilege of meeting both Bill and Shawn several years ago in Elko NV. They were there in support of a radio DJ who lost 100 pounds on the Body for Life program and raised $25,000 for the Make A Wish foundation. Bill’s book, Body for Life changed the way I work out and eat. Shawn gave me hope that maybe I can have abs! I completed the Body of Work contest (I highly recommend the movie) and several Body for Life contests. Shawn’s book, ABSolution: The Practical Solution for Building Your Best Abs, is a beautiful work, inspiring both visually and in content.

Shawn Phillips continues to inspire with his positive messages of self reliance and self discipline.

Francesca Gentille

Francesca Gentille is a nationally recognized Whole Life and Relationship coach. Graduating as a member of the national honors society in Psychology (Psi Chi), she has over 20 years training and expertise in Psychology, Communication Theory, Spirituality, Somatic Movement, Integrative Arts, Life Purpose and Authentic Wardrobe/Style Expression. She is an Initiated Daughter of Yemaya, an award wining poet, a Health Educator and a Television Host/Producer. She is also a proud mother of a fantastic son.

Francesca has moved and shattered my life in ways I never thought possible. She has continued to move more and more into a transparent life of integrity and honor. Her willingness to work on herself, her life and her vision inspires and moves me. She has never asked me to look at any part of myself without looking at herself first. She has served as my inspiration to do and be things in the world I never thought possible --- a dancer, a workshop leader in the fields of dance and personal growth. I am a more powerful human being today because of my association with her.

Peggy Dylan

Peggy Dylan is:

• an internationally renowned seminar leader
• one of the most dynamic motivational speakers worldwide
• a recognized pioneer and premier authority in the field of personal development and human potential
• the originator of the contemporary firewalking movement
• Peggy Dylan is the founder of SUNDOOR School of Transpersonal Education and The International Firewalking School, and personally develops all the programs taught by both her and her expert staff. She has powerfully impacted hundreds of thousands of people.

Peggy Dylan is the founder of SUNDOOR School for Transpersonal Education and personally develops all the programs taught by both her and her expert staff. A pioneer in motivational and leadership trainings since 1976, Peggy's work and insight catapulted the firewalk to national attention as a leading edge tool for human development in 1982.

I was very fortunate to meet Peggy in 1996 or 97. She led a firewalk with just 7 or 8 of us. Since that time I have walked with her several times. She is the premier authority on this dynamic process. Her workshops are both cutting edge and down to earth. Since my first walk, I have found that many obstacles pale in comparison to walking on 1200 degree coals. Not only is her work inspiring but her life continues to be one of service to the planet and an inspiration as well.

Lance Armstrong

Lance Armstrong has won an unheard of 7 consecutive Tour De France cycling races. This race takes 22 days, has 20 stages and covers over 2500 kilometers (2000 miles). Imagine a team winning the Super Bowl 7 times, or the NBA Championships 7 times, or the US Open 9 years in a row. This is a streak unheard of in the annals of sports history. Then imagine the Star player on the team is a cancer survivor --- a cancer that required 2 surgeries and an aggressive experimental chemotherapy treatment. An amazing testament to the iron will of Lance Armstrong. Today Lance Armstrong is cancer free and has retired from competitive cycling.

He has not retired from a life of service. The Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF) has sold over 65 million LiveStrong yellow bands and has raised over 181 million dollars for cancer survivorship programs and raising awareness of the fight against cancer.

In 2006: Lance raised over $600,000 running the New York marathon. He has committed to the 2007 race. He finished in a very competitive 2:59. He LAF has begun to put pressure on political leaders to start a dialogue on cancer and what is or isn’t being done.

Although his story of physical accomplishments is the stuff of legends, his mental attitude and willing ness to bring his journey home to each of us is truly inspiring.

Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah
Emmanuel was born with out a tibia in his right leg. His father abandoned the family after he was born. Bad, yes, but consider he was born in Ghana, a country where the disabled can only look forward to a life of begging in the streets uneducated and alone. Over 2 million Ghanaians are disabled. Emmanuel Yeboah could have accepted his fate and joined the legions of beggars in Accra, the capital.

His mother, refused to let him accept his fate, sending him to school and building a fire that led him to an amazing feat. Yeboah had a better idea--he would take a bike ride. With just one good leg, he pedaled around the sub-Saharan nation in an effort to open his countrymen's eyes to the fact that disability does not mean inability. His 400-mile journey took Yeboah worlds away from his final destination. He was thrust into international celebrity, featured in a documentary, and given a brand new leg. Since then he has embarked on a new journey--transforming the lives of Ghana's estimated 2 million disabled people. "In this world, we are not perfect," Yeboah humbly told the New York Daily News. "We can only do our best. I just want to make life better, and help people benefit from my experience."

Armed with a bike from the Challenged Athlete Foundation (CAF) Emmanuel set out to ride across Ghana with just one leg. He was out to change the perception that disability equaled inability. He stopped to give speeches and raise awareness of the plight of the disabled in Ghana. Over the several months and 380 miles that he was on the road Emmanuel --- “the Pozo” --- became a celebrity throughout Ghana.

The CAF helped Emmanuel get a prosthetic leg and in 2003 Emmanuel was named the CAF Most Inspirational Athlete. The same year he received the prestigious Casey Martin Award, given to honor an athlete who has overcome physical, mental, societal, or cultural challenges to excel in their sport. The Nike award came with a check for $25,000. CAF matched that gift with another $25,000. Yeboah used the money to create the Emmanuel Education Fund in Ghana. "My goal is to make sure that children with disabilities get an education, receive proper medical care, and play sports whenever they want," he said. He has committed to putting 15 disabled students through school each year and has helped organize the distribution of hundreds of wheelchairs to his countrymen.

Emmanuel was the subject of the documentary “Emmanuel’s Gift” narrated by Oprah Winfrey. This is the movie that led me to Emmanuel Yeboah. The scenes where over 100 wheelchairs are distributed to Ghanaian street people are amazing. You can see people’s lives transformed before your eyes. Emmanuel continues to work for the rights of the disabled in Ghana and turned his disability into a gift. A gift he has used to inspire a nation and given hope to over 2 million people.

What I have learned in this exploration and rumination of heroes in the world today,
is that to honor the life of a hero is to make a commitment to integrate their lessons into my own life,
and to strive to become the hero for others that they are for me. 

Namaste 

John Mariotti

Why I don’t want to go to Alabama

AND

Why I will be in Alabama

Last year, I was really excited to be part of the UBBT’s Alabama house building project. We raised money, did push ups, talked about it a lot. I was jazzed up to meet my new teammates and train, and do some wonderful work for people who were in desperate need. Hale County is one of the poorest counties in the US. The annual per capita income is something like $10000.00, most people are living on SSD or SSI at $6-800 per month, children graduate from high school with a 4^th grade reading level, and can not always do multiplication and division. There was a tremendous amount of good to be done there. We raised $1600.00 and I got on a plane to Birmingham AL.

The ground in Alabama is seeped in racism, discrimination and hatred. If you listen you can hear the sounds of slavery. If you watch you can see the ghosts of downtrodden and oppressed people, of the rancor and hatred of man against man. The Civil Rights museum in Birmingham broke my heart. The 16^th ST. Baptist church tore it out and stomped all over it. Greensboro, for all its bucolic beauty, created a headache and bellyache of epic proportions in me. The high schools are segregated and the “black” school has a facility that hasn’t seen an upgrade since the early sixties (that’s 40 years). The churches are segregated. Many of the people doing the “work” seem defeated by the futility of their task. Many of the people who are the recipients of the help don’t seem to want to help themselves. On top of all that – the food is bad and bad for you, the floor is hard as granite and the facilities are nightmarish. This year’s projects don’t really excite me and there are people in need right here in my backyard.

So, I wasn’t going. Uh huh, no way no how. I have been trying to come up with some reason why and there they are. THEN Martin Luther King Day came and the day after I asked a class of 95% white children who MLK was. The answers were appalling. “He freed the slaves,” was one. “He made it so everyone could vote,” was another – at least that one was close. These children had no concept of civil rights. Your rights and mine – OUR civil rights. The rights we afford each and every person in this country. The rights people died for in this country and the rights Mrs. Rosa Parks was denied until that day she stood up and took them back. The same rights every person in the world SHOULD be afforded – the right to live free of oppression and slavery. The inalienable right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. And these school children in my backyard have no idea of the sacrifices innumerable men and women of every race, creed, and religion made so that in this country those rights would be made whole for everyone.

And here we are in 2007, and people are still living under the oppression of poverty, lack of reasonable sanitation, poor education, discrimination and yes, illegal segregation. And it isn’t just happening in Darfur, and Thailand, and many others – It is happening right here in our back yard. In the good ole USA -- home of the brave and land of the free. And that is wrong. It is wrong that it happens here, there or anywhere. And it affects me that it is and does happen. I am oppressed because one member of my human family is oppressed. And I am the oppressor because one member of my family is an oppressor. I am the victim and I am the perpetrator.

SO, I am going to Alabama again. I don’t want to go. I really really don’t want to go. But I must go. I must go to show the world that I, and many others, care about what happens to everyone. That it matters when one person is treated badly. That I can and will do what I can to make a difference --- Even if I have to go to Alabama, Darfur and or somewhere else to do it. And I will publicize my efforts in order to educate the rest of the world of the plight of our brothers and sisters.

For those of you reading this who is confused or not sure about what it is that

I am talking about – call me at 775-338-2412 and we can talk. For those of you reading this who is not going to Alabama, I hope I have touched you in some way to support this or other projects either financially or with your physical presence. For the rest of you---

SEE YOU IN GREENSBORO!!!!

Namaste

John