Shamrock Run '07 For North Korean Refugees

I dedicate my run in the March, 2007 Shamrock Marathon to increasing awareness for North Korean refugees and raising funds for Helping Hands Korea (HHK). Based in Seoul, HHK aids North Koreans living in China. HHK’s mission is to (1) alleviate suffering from malnutrition (2) shelter North Korean refugees during their perilous existence in China, and (3) assist refugees along the ‘underground railroad’ while preventing refugees’ repatriation to their home country.

Monday, January 29, 2007

Sorry about the gap in posts. . I had a good strength workout on Thursday last week -- Did a number of leg exercises that kept me sore over the weekend and got a little upper body in too. I didn't get a workout or run in on Friday because I my left shin was still b0thering me and I want to make sure I didn't make it worse.

This weekend in Atlantic City was awesome. I went up and down a bunch in money, and ended up losing overall, but I had a good time doing it ;) I took 6th place overall in a 140 person no-limit hold'em tournament at the Taj.

I didn't have my "long run" workout until I was home and off of a phone call last night at 11 p.m. I did our new elliptical (Robyn, my fiance, bought one last week) for 2 hours and I think I ran an equivalent of about 15 miles. Burned 3200 calories according to the machine, but my guess is that's a pretty big overestimate. I watched the end of Battlestar Galactica and two episodes of lost on netflix while on that machine-o-pain and still had time to kill.. Finally got off a little after 1 a.m. and crawled into bed after a shower and shave.. Made for a late morning today. I gotta be a little better about not letting my workouts cut into my normal sleeping hours!

Next weekend's long run I'm going for 17.5 miles. I hope it's not snowing!

Cheers.

The Mission

Who Are We?

Run for Refugees is a group running the Shamrock Marathon to raise money and awareness for Helping Hands Korea, a charity which helps North Korean refugees escape persecution and poverty via an Underground Railroad.

Why Are We Running?

Which is worse: living in a country where the vast majority of citizens will die a slow, painful death from famine or torture, or trying to escape via a perilous journey where the slightest misstep can result in imprisonment, torture, sexual exploitation, and constant terror. Every North Korean faces just this dilemma. Escape is exceptionally difficult. The Chinese government, in violation of all international treaties, aggressively seeks out North Korean refugees and punishes them severely. Private citizens often blackmail North Korean refugees and exploit and degrade them. For the few who manage to survive this ordeal, life is still far from easy. Most were forced to leave family members behind, and will never hear news about their welfare again. Most face discrimination in their new countries and have difficulty beginning a new life.

How does Helping Hands Korea Help?

Helping Hands Korea aids refugees by:

Providing secret shelters for North Korean refugees in China and surrounding countries
Helping North Korean refugees make their way to safety along the so-called 'underground railroad'
Sending food to hungry orphans and schoolchildren inside North Korea

How Can You Help?

Click on the "Donate" button to sponsor Ethan in the Shamrock Marathon.
Forward this blog to your friends.

Want to Learn More?

Please visit www.helpinghandskorea.org for more information. We'll be posting updates on Ethan's progress throughout his training/our fundraising effort. Please check back daily!