Three men – (from left) Kevin Lin, Ray Zahab, and Charlie Engle – ran the equivalent of two marathons every day for 111 days, crossing the Sahara Desert to tell the whole world about the water crisis in Africa. .
Cairo, EGYPT - Stinging sand whipped into such a fury that, at times, it was hard to see or breathe. It became a battle to stay alive.
Three men made history. The men, from three different countries, spent 111 days together, running 4,000 miles across the Sahara Desert. They finished their extreme journey on February 19 with the goal of telling the world about the water crisis in Africa.
The team of three included Charlie Engle, 44, an American father of two and a television producer; Ray Zahab, 38, a Canadian and a personal athletic trainer, and college student Kevin Lin, 30, from Taiwan.
Their trek began in the country of Senegal and ended 111 days later in Egypt, where each man placed his hands in the Red Sea. The men crossed the world’s largest desert. They ran through the countries of Senegal, Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Libya, and Egypt.
“This has been a life-changing event,” Engle said. Throughout the run, the men were plagued with sore muscles, cramping, knee injuries, and severe diarrhea.
“Now that I know how hard this is, I would never consider crossing the Sahara on foot again,” Engle said.
They battled blistering heat during the day and freezing temperatures at night, but they pressed on, running an average of 47 miles a day.
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None of the three wavered from their goal: to create awareness of the plight of Africans who need clean drinking water. The runners met locals who often spent more than two hours a day searching for drinking water and sterilizing.
Though only the three actually ran, the runners had a team of people assisting them, as well as a film crew that followed their every move. A documentary film company plans to show the movie, “Running the Sahara,” later this year.
While on a lunch break on a 108-degree day, runner Zahab said, “We have seen firsthand the need for clean water, which we take for granted in North America. Water is the foundation for any community.”
All three plan to raise funds for the group H20 Africa after recuperating from the run.
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Let’s talk
• Why did the men run across the Sahara Desert?
• Why is having fresh drinking water so important?
• What do you use water for every day?
Hey, try this!
Have the kids copy the facts below on a piece of paper and tape it to a clean, empty 2-liter soda bottle . Have them take Living Water’s H20 Challenge. For 2 weeks, don’t drink sodas, juice, and sports drinks. Save the money that you would normally spend on these beverages and put it in the soda bottle and give it to Living Water International. Or contribute to World Vision. Find an awesome video and resources for the H20 project at: www.theh2oproject.org/video_windowsmedia.html
See also:
http://livingwater.theh2oproject.org
and www.worldvision.org
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A Thirsty World Sources:
H20, World Vision
• Every 15 seconds, a child dies
from a water-related illness.
• As little as $1 can provide
clean, safe water for one
person for a year
• $50 can give 250 children water
treatment tablets for one year.
• 80 countries experience serious water shortages.
• Dirty water and waste are related to 88 percent
of all diseases in poor countries.
• Some children in Africa can’t go to school
because they have to spend so many hours
a day fetching water.
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For more information, see: www.rnrk/weblinks.html
