marathon and meeting simon!

Kilimanjaro's peak was glowing with a fresh pile of snow reflected brilliantly as the sun rose on our walk to the starting line this past sunday for the 1/2 Marathon. I feel blessed to have finished this tough hilly race, to have been among such talented runners from all over East Africa, and the world.

*pre-race with team peace corps.the girls running wrote in swahili "we women have strength/ability, too!" on our shirts.our tanzanian sisters cheering on the sidelines got a laugh*



*check out those legs.TUFF*



I feel even more blessed to have finally had the opportunity to meet Simon Mtuy, the world record holder for ascending kili. A local climber born and raised in Marangu under the mountain's base, he was also the guide we used in my SIT project "Climb Kili for AIDS" (link below), a program designed for high school students to learn about pressing African issues and to complete a fundraising climb of Kili, with proceeds benefiting AIDS orphans. After several phone calls stateside and in country here, we were finally able to rendezvous in a coffee shop in moshi the day after the race, and he informed me of his recent achievement (in simon's own words):

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Dear All!
It's almost 31hrs since I finish my 2nd yet first official ascent and descent up the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro (19,345 ft), which lays just 3 degrees below the equator. This attempt which was my second started at Umbwe Gate (approx 6,500 ft) at 6:00am and ended at Mweka Gate (approx 6,200 ft) at 3:19pm. My previous record was 8 hrs 27 min and this was supported with one water station and was verified by witnesses. This time I chose to do it unassisted and used digital instruments for verification which will help to publish this record as the first and only official unassisted attempt on Kilimanjaro. It was not an easy beginning and I thank you for all the great energy and vibes you sent along. I wish I could see all your faces at the finish. Had a few challenges on the way. First I had a stomach problem in which I vomited several times. This put me at Baranco Camp (12,800 ft) with an almost 45 min delay. In addition I had an additional 15 min delay to Arrow Glacier, putting me behind 1 hour. I approached the summit via Western Breach which was where the rock slide on Jan 4 that took the lives of a few tourists occurred. At this point the Western Breach is temporarily closed while we still await for official approval to open it up for tourists. I came to the Rim Crater (18,500 ft) at 12:09pm. I took 25 minutes to enjoy the view and peace at the summit with no one around. After taking a few digital videos, at 12:35 I started accelerating down toward Barafu Camp where I was faced with no water. I headed toward Mwake Camp and headed to a potential water source but after 20 minutes I returned with no water. I struggled and passed the Mweka Hut (second Mweka Camp). I continued toward Mwake Gate and finally reached water, which was almost like black tea. By then I had no choice but to drink it. Cruising through the beautiful forest and I arrived at Mweka Gate and exactly 3:19pm. This will be proven more with all the digital instruments and the record published by Team Kilimanjaro. Please refer to their website for details www.teamkilimanjaro.com. The outcome of this will start the community center in my village for HIV education and rehabilitation.

With much love and friendship,
Simon Mtuy
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Can you imagine? What an inspiration...and all proceeds/benefits will go to his community center supporting AIDS orphans in his village, called Hope Through Opportunity. Apparently, his first efforts to make this record were due to his brother's death from AIDS. He has not stopped running, climbing since.
I have no idea what will come of my relationship with Simon, but I pray something will...

On a side note, if any of you are looking for an incredibly passionate, talented guide for climbing Kili, he's the man. His website is: www.nomadicexperience.com (his site listed under my links on bottom right of blog). If I am able to climb Kili with students from my village (as I hope to do for an empowerment/leadership secondary project), I may have to use one of his friends, as I'm not sure Peace Corps will be able to foot his bill! His trips are a bit pricey, but you will be guaranteed an incredibly safe (he's even NOLS certified) and fulfilling journey.

*the Peace Corps crew post-race!we done!what a day!*

Take care,
Tait