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A familiar Chinese saying goes, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with the
first step.” And it may be said that
Friendship begins with a step of faith.
With growing economic ties between the People’s Republic of
China and the
United States, an unprecedented opportunity to further bridge two cultures is on
the horizon. A 2,200 mile run from
the Great Wall to Hong Kong followed by a 4,000 mile cross-country relay style run
from San Francisco to Washington, D.C. shall be a unique dimension of people-to-people
initiative in Sports Diplomacy and the many steps of a long journey to establish
lasting friendships that span the globe.
In October, thousands will join Stan Cottrell,
noted ultra-distance runner from Tucker Georgia as he begins his one man odyssey
in an innovative event that has been hailed as being “of historic proportions". Friendship Sports and its international
partners are coordinating the event and daily activities.
The two events are called
“The Great China-USA Friendship Run.”
This was first conceived in 1984 when
Stan Cottrell ran from The Great Wall to
Guangzhou . This was followed by a
run across the
United States along with three Chinese distance runners.
The event was highly acclaimed and publicized.
A feature length movie, China Run, chronicled the event and was shown in
markets around the world.
The first portion will start October 20th
in China and culminate 60 days later with a variety of interactive activities
such as friendship lectures, fitness testing, and concerts in cities, towns, and
villages along the way of the run.
The second portion of the Great China-USA
Friendship Run will begin the following spring in San Francisco on May
7th and conclude on June 20th. Three Chinese distance
runners will be selected to run with Stan Cottrell and two other Americans as they
do a “relay style” run that will take them west to east, and passing through
United States
Military
Academy at
West Point where they will be joined by thousands of Cadets who will run alongside
a few miles. The run will go through
New York City and culminate at the steps of the United States Capitol in
Washington,
D.C.
One of the many exceptional aspects of
the Great China-USA Friendship Run is that Friendship Sports Association (Nonprofit)
is now undertaking a national letter writing campaign called the
Penpalsmanship program.
Starting in August 2007 we are encouraging 1 million school children to write letters
of friendship to be given to Chinese schoolchildren along the run route. This same
effort is going to be followed by Chinese school children when the trans-USA portion
begins. “Giving our children the opportunity
to begin talking and developing communications is a powerful way to make our wonderful
nations even greater”, Cottrell said.
So why an ultra-distance marathon?
Stan Cottrell – teacher – author – athlete
- goodwill ambassador believes sports, and running in particular, have a way of
bring people together. “At some point
in most people’s lives, they run; whether as children or while participating in
a game or a sport. Regardless of geography
or culture, people relate to running.”
During a Friendship run those who can join Cottrell for as long as they choose.
When his team comes through small towns and remote villages,
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people are curious
and stop to see what is going on. When
they do, Cottrell shakes hands, hugs children, and spends time sharing encouraging
thoughts and ultimately, people come together in thought, heart and spirit.
Instead of interfering with his schedule or wearing
him out, Cottrell says this interaction with people along the route actually serves
to energize him.
Cottrell, 63, has been running since childhood,
winning his first race at a county fair in his home state of
Kentucky . Since then he has logged
more than 185,000 miles of running in 52 years.
This is more than 7.5 times around the earth.
He has completed 38 productions promoting including twice across the USA,
a 12 country run across Europe, Korea (twice), Dominican Republic (twice), Jamaica
(twice), Bulgaria (3 times), Crimea, Cambodia, Vietnam (twice), Berlin to Warsaw,
and The Peoples Republic of China.
During the late 70’s and early 80’s, he
set records for completing the most miles in a 24 - hour period and setting a Guinness
record for running across the United States in 48 days.
“Running is a great forum for breaking
down walls of division between people of different cultures,” Cottrell explained
when asked how his running coordinates with his belief that every person on the
earth can make a lasting difference.
“It has been said that the enemies and strangers of our world are often similar. We fear what we don’t understand.
I see people when I run.
When we talk it immediately becomes clear how alike we are versus how different
we are.”
“Living a successful life means to discover
what you do well and do more of it.
I run and people come out and run with me.
We laugh, play, and for a moment in time, we are as school children playing together. Somehow, we are all changed positively. In those moments we see each other
as people…and the world is a better place.
We are all messengers of trust, friendship and understanding.
Running together is a wonderful way to promote these values.”
It is this vision that has propelled Stan
Cottrell to continue to plant seeds of friendship that began a quarter of a century
ago.
The Great China-USA Friendship Run
is a perfect fit to help break down walls and bring greater understanding between
the citizens of our two great countries.
One of Cottrell’s Chinese friends said
to him, “We need more people with a vision that allows people to know us better.” From those words, this ultra-distance
runner has set his eyes upon the finish-line of this great event – no matter how
lengthy or how many days it requires – knowing that with tens of millions of people
from two nations cheering him on, he will complete this most important mission.
“I have learned that I need people; I
can’t make it in life alone. I need
the support, encouragement and friendship of others.
It is crucial to the unborn generations that we make these efforts among
the peoples of the world for lasting friendship.
With the coming of the 2008 Olympics coming to
Beijing , this is one of a number of distinctive forums that can add to the overall
impact of such a milestone.”
And that’s a vision of hope that people
the world over are learning to understand as they take that first step of a thousand
miles.
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FEATURE STORY
FROM:
Friendship Sports Association, Inc.
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