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Yesterday Catherine left for the Bogota Half Marathon which will be run on Sunday August 2, 2009. She had a short layover in Miami to collect her visa and she should arrive in Columbia later today. The Bogota race is not an easy one because it is held at such a high altitude. For comparison, Catherine trains in Ngong, Kenya which is a hilly area with an average altitude of just over 2000 meters or 6500 feet. The altitude in Bogota is 2600 meters which is just over 8500 feet! Catherine won this race in 2006 but she will tell you that it is definitely not easy to run at that altitude.

Here's hoping she has a good race!

photo: Catherine Ndereba at 2005 World Championships courtesy of Victah Sailer

Back to Roots II

Today we actually got to sleep in; 7am! We left our lovely *cough* Central Hotel after a decent breakfast that was included with the room. We arrived at Kahira Ini Primary School by 8:15 and there were already a lot of students there! Now remember, this is SATURDAY! Because of the track meet on Friday, the headmaster arranged for us to come in today and he also invited parents. Unfortunately there was also a church function today so many were not able to come. When we got there we started filming immediately but there were so many kids interested in the camera that we took some time first to let them check it out! It was cute how curious they all were. Jon had his camera and I had my little Canon and we would film a group of children and then play it back for them while they all giggled and vied for the best viewing position! We interviewed several teachers there and you could see how excited both parents and children were while waiting for Catherine to arrive. We scheduled to be there long before her so we could do all the other interviews and establishing shots. We did not know that they had planned an entire assembly and were expecting Catherine to speak formally to the children and parents. When we learned that she was only minutes away, the headmaster got all of the children and parents seated. When Catherine arrived there was such an excitement in the air you could hear the buzzing! The teachers all greeted her and Anthony and Charles Githii, the headmaster, walked the grounds with Catherine as she reminisced.

Finally the children were rewarded when first Anthony was introduced to speak and then Catherine.

They did not speak in English so I had to rely on the reactions of the children and later learned what they were told. Anthony warned them about staying away from the gangs that had been causing some trouble in the area lately and Catherine spoke to them about working hard in school and nurturing any talents they have that they should not be afraid to start small and not give up. She urged parents to let their children follow their dreams and to support them and she was very humbled that so many people came out to see her on a Saturday when they could be doing other things. She also announced that she was donating 100,000ksh to the school to use for things that they need most! There was a question and answer session after and the children seemed curious to know more. Once again, we were there longer than I had anticipated; I just underestimate the amount of time people want to spend with Catherine especially when it comes to kids!

Before leaving we were invited to have some drinks and a snack so of course we accepted (remember it is impolite not to anyway and we were very hungry by that time!) When I say drinks, it is not the kind of drinks you may be thinking but it also was not tea! It was soda which is very big in Kenya, especially all things Coke a Cola! Before leaving, Catherine wrote her donation check as promised and presented it to the headmaster. She said she would follow up and see what they use the funds for.

It was once again getting late and we needed to visit Catherine’s birth home so off we went. Catherine rode with us in the van so she could commentate and Anthony drove their 4 wheel vehicle. We made a stop at the little shopping strip so Catherine could buy some groceries to bring to her brother’s home as she never shows up empty handed. It is customary to bring basic needs to those who do not earn as much as you do. She got what she needed, I got drinks for everyone and then we continued on our way.

As we neared our destination the ground was soggy and muddy and lo and behold we got stuck! Anthony was driving ahead of us and didn’t notice so he kept going until he was out of site. We all got out of the van and Jon and Willy pushed while Michael (driver) tried to steer the way out. Catherine and I stood out of the way and watched the mud flying! She was on the phone so Anthony called me to ask where we were and I told him our predicament! He drove back but the guys were finally able to free the van and we continued to the birth home.

It was different from last year in the fact that the project her brother was working on that prevented us from driving up the hill was complete but we decided not to even try taking the van up the hill! Anthony drove up but we walked! It is a beautiful piece of land that sits up high and overlooks the countryside; just breathtaking. Catherine walked us around the property and showed us where she and her siblings lived, how they gathered water and where she grew food. The original structure she lived in as a child is still there but her brother, Anthony uses it for storage now and built another house on the land where he lives with his wife, Grace (also known as Mama Lillian) and two children, Hilda and Lillian. Word quickly spread that Catherine was visiting and soon a former neighbor showed up as well as Catherine’s uncle, one of her father’s brothers! Catherine gave her uncle some groceries and she gave the former neighbor some cash (again, custom to help those less fortunate). Then Mama Lillian prepared tea for all as well as sweet potatoes that she had roasted on the fireplace that is their stove. The house is in the same style as the one Catherine grew up in with the kitchen in a separate building. We enjoyed the healthy snack and then had to say our goodbyes so we could make our last stop of the day.

When we got back down to our car and were about to leave, we ran into Charity, Catherine’s Aunt that we ran into and interviewed on our first visit to her home town.

She asked me to come to her house (just up the road) for a visit and some tea and I felt horrible having to decline. I know it is not polite but we were on a very tight schedule and it would be getting dark soon and we still had to visit Anthony’s parents who had been waiting for us. I promised that the next time I come I will take her up on the generous offer.

We drove back through Karatina and on to Anthony’s parents who still live in the home where Anthony grew up. I still don’t know how people find their way around these places as there are no street signs and people just know which coffee field to turn at! I had not seen Anthony’s parents’ home in daylight and when we arrived it was very pretty! They have a little orchard/garden where they grow some vegetables and also have some passion fruit trees! They showed us down into the garden and I watched Anthony climb a passion fruit tree like a little kid (even though he was wearing dress clothes and shoes!)

He and Catherine knocked down a lot of fruit and I tasted my first passion fruit which was surprisingly good! We then interviewed Anthony’s parents, Jane and Kenneth and learned some interesting things from them. Anthony definitely gets his sense of humor from his father; in fact, they are almost one and the same person! His mother seems to be very practical and we learned that she used to be a runner as well! We shared some tea and biscuits and a little bit of time and then needed to head out so we could get back to Nairobi before it got too late. We left Catherine and Anthony there to spend a little “alone” time with the parents and Anthony said he would see us on the road as he passes us! I laughed and we got on the way :) Sure enough, about 40 minutes into the drive, we saw them pass our van! Kenyan drivers! :) We stayed our course and arrived back at Wasini at almost 10:30. It was a long day but well worth it!

Sunday May 10, 2009

Today we interviewed a former Olympian and London and NYC Marathon champion, Douglas Wakiihuri. He was the first Kenyan man to win a gold medal at the World Championships in 1987. He lived and trained in Japan for many years and is very well-spoken and we interviewed him about women in athletics and how things have changed since he was competing. He invited us to Nairobi National Park where he is organizing an event later this month called the Sotokoto Safari Marathon. He has combined his ties with Japan and his love of the marathon to put together this event that will only be a half marathon this year but will progress into a full marathon next. The starting point is inside the game park at the ivory burning site and the finish line is there as well. (They will have rangers on duty the day of the race to ensure protection against any animals). He was very interesting and I’m looking forward to his race; he granted us permission to film the start and finish and Catherine’s brother, Cyrus, will participate in the race as will Irene Limika and Nephat Kinyanjui, two of Lisa’s other runners.

After the interview, we had lunch with Douglas and then Irene met me at the Park with her daughter, Deborah and her husband and another friend. Deborah is so adorable! Douglas provided a ride back to our apartment for all of us and I spent some time with Irene and her family at Wasini. Once Deborah decided it was time to go they went back home . :)

Flora London Marathon

On Saturday we headed to The Tower where Catherine and crew relocated so they could be where needed Sunday morning early for the race. After they got settled into their room we were able to watch Lisa decorate Catherine’s bottles for along the race route. We later would film Catherine as she prepared them with endure and water and taste tested them before dropping them off with the race officials. Each elite athlete must submit their course bottles at a certain time before the race so they are monitored and not tampered with before the start. On Sunday morning we had to be at The Tower by 6:45 am to film Catherine board the bus en route to the start. Unfortunately, the race directors would not give us credentials to film Anthony and Jane at the finish line; something to do with privacy of the other athletes. I was extremely disappointed as this was one of the main reasons for coming to London in the first place; once again capture the enormous support Catherine receives from her husband as well as Lisa and Mostafa. Lisa ended up being offered a spot on the lead vehicle and not wanting to insult anyone she accepted it. She said it is not a great place to watch a race because you only see the lead runners so if your runner is not in that group you have no way of communicating to find out! She ended up texting me and I kept her informed when she needed an update; Jon and I watched from the press center and had access to all of that information. Catherine stayed at the back of the pack as she usually does but she did not seem to ever really make a “move”. The race was really between three runners for much of it; Irina, Chunxiu and a British runner, Mara Yamouchi. Along the way Chunxiu Zhou fell back but Catherine was still just comfortably in the lead of the second pack just over two minutes behind the two leaders. She finished in 7^th place and then Lisa texted me that Catherine was on her way to see a podiatrist, alerting us that they would not be heading right back. It turns out that at around 15k Catherine said she felt something on her foot but she didn’t pay attention to it. By 25k she was in much discomfort and pain but dropping out was never even a thought. She still turned in a respectable time at just over 2:26! The doc bandaged up her foot and all of the elite athletes returned to the hotel via bus and water taxi because so many roads were closed. We caught up to everyone as they docked at the pier by the hotel and we followed Catherine back to her room where we were able to see her foot. She showered and then we followed her back down to the media centre for lunch. When she was interviewed she didn’t even mention her foot injury to the reporters! She was gracious as always and congratulated the winners and stated that today it was their day. Catherine was approached by many reporters as she finished lunch and was very accommodating to each. Jane, however, was completely bored. Still trying to break the ice I thought back to what I liked to do as a kid. I asked her if she’d like to draw and she perked up and said yes. I got her a pen and paper and she now had something to do! I still wanted to get to know her even better so I told her about when I was younger how I was always embarrassed to loan people my notes because I had little drawings of people in all the margins! I drew one of my “creations” for her and she was so impressed (glad to know someone was!) She tried to duplicate it and ended up doing a really cool job on her own! I felt as if maybe we had made a little progress. As much as I would have liked to hang out and get to know her better, I still had interviews to conduct! I arranged to interview Sean Hartnett who had been involved with Kenyan runners for many years and many of the Kenyans call him “Professor of Marathon” (he is actually a geography teacher at University of Wisconsin. He used to run marathons, has been writing for US Track and Field for many years. It was very interesting talking to him as he has followed Catherine’s career as well as many others.

When we finished with Sean we spoke with another man who had just run his first marathon. He and his wife watched my interview with Constantina previously and we spoke with them after. I was curious to see how he did and we got a quick interview as well. He is a very charming man with a big smile and even better attitude so it was great to hear him talk about completing his first marathon! His name is David Wright and he is a former PGA golf pro from New Zealand and he and his wife is a lovely couple. If I ever get to visit New Zealand I know I have a place to stay AND they have St. Bernard dogs to top it all off! J It was now past 6pm and the elite athletes as well as other invited ones were getting ready to head out to their post race party. Jon and I were exhausted and knew we needed to still pack before leaving in the morning.

We charted our way back to our hotel via the tube and got the tapes downloading from a good day. Around 8 we headed out and found a cute Italian restaurant that had a good special. After dinner I told Jon I would meet him back at the hotel because I wanted to hit an ATM so I could pay the taxi to the airport in the morning. I went to the Barclay’s Bank because they are international. I put my card in and could not figure out how to operate the machine. Now I’m no dummy; I tried touching the screen to make my selections, that didn’t work. I tried everything I could and still could not figure out how to operate the screen! You would think it would be easy or that there would be instructions. Eventually it asked if I wanted more time and since I could not figure out how to answer it, I thought it would just spit my card back at me. NOT! That $#%*#&$*# machine ATE MY ATM card at 9:40PM the night before I was due at the airport at 8:30am!!! I kept myself calm and called their 24 hour number at which time I was told that I had to call MY bank in the US. HUH? What good would that do me? They are 5 hours behind and I was due to fly out the next morning to Kenya! It was useless; I got the good ole deaf ear and ended up using another ATM machine across the street to get enough to pay the taxi driver in the morning. Fortunately, I had my personal ATM card as well. Unfortunately, it left a bad taste in my mouth of London!

Update: First Post of 2009

Happy New Year! (ok, so I’m a little late!)I realize it has been awhile since I last posted and I have been working behind the scenes to put together the fundraising trailer (check back to view this soon), business plan and proposal that will lead to raising the money needed to make this film! I am dedicated to making sure this happens because I really believe this story needs to be told! The more I learn about Kenya and Catherine's journey to get to where she is from where she came from, the more I am convinced of this. In a country where education for women was not a given right as it is here in the US, where opportunities for girls were nowhere near equal to those for boys and where athletics for girls was certainly not a priority, Catherine's perseverance in her goals is an inspiration. How lucky girls are here in the United States to have Title IX! I'm sure many people don't even know what Title IX is and like myself, just take it for granted that girls are entitled to the same opportunities as boys, even if that doesn't always happen. But it actually is the law!

I have always known that Billie Jean King has been a pioneer in making sure women and girls have equal opportunities in sports and prize money in professional sports. I've always been a huge tennis fan and used to play a lot of tennis so I was familiar with her efforts and her organization, The Women's Sports Foundation. But it wasn't until last year that I really learned the extent of how far the U.S. has come in assuring that girls have equal opportunity in education and sports when I became aware of Title IX.

Today I attended a press conference at City Hall in Philadelphia called V is for Victory. So is IX. First of all, I have lived in Philadelphia all my life and I don’t think I have ever been inside City Hall. The press conference was held in the Mayor’s Reception Room and it was a magnificent room! Everything about it, including the ceiling, was just beautiful. There were paintings of all the previous mayors and a gold-plated chandelier that I just researched and learned is 8’3” and weighs 1680 pounds!(ok you can read more about the room on your own here: http://www.ajaxelectric.com/cityhall/tour7.htm" Anyway, back to the press conference. It was to announce a "new national campaign aimed to educate students, parents, and administrators on Title IX, the federal law banning sex-discrimination in schools." The following is from the official press release: The Women's Sports Foundation and the Women's Law Project are working together to help students, parents, coaches, athletic directors, administrators and community leaders advocate for equal treatment in school and community sports programs. This project will focus on evaluating sports programs and in taking the necessary steps to achieve athletic equity.
Wow. I know I, for one, have always taken for granted that girls were to have the same opportunities as boys in sports. I always knew that the boys had more teams than the girls when I was younger, and I don't remember having all the intramural sports and township sports that my kids had in school, but I knew there were plenty of teams that girls could try out for. I always played tennis. I played on my high school team. I played little league. I had opportunities. Maybe it was because I grew up in the suburbs. Or, maybe it was because Title IX was passed in 1972 and I was only eleven years old and didn't even know that I was benefiting from it. Yes, I took it for granted. But as with all freedoms we enjoy, I now know that there was a reason I was able to benefit, that there were girls and women before me who fought for the rights I enjoyed. And still are. There are still schools where girls do not have the same opportunities as boys, or the same equipment, playing fields, practice time or coaching as the boys. And, federal law mandates this must be equal.
Some people may ask why it is so important to have sports in our schools. What is the big deal? It’s just games. But it is SO much more than that. It has been proven that athletics is more than just fun and games. There are lower rates of depression and suicide among girls who are involved in sports.It has been proven that being involved in athletics decreases the likelihood of smoking, drug use, obesity, drop outs and teen pregnancy. Being involved in athletics leads to greater self confidence, self esteem and body image. It helps in learning time management skills and setting goals. Athletics creates more opportunities for girls to attend college through sports scholarships. These are all important tools for academic and professional success and insuring that girls become valuable and productive members of society. Wow! I can only think of what Kenya could be with a Title IX!

Which brings me back to Catherine; these are all reasons why Catherine speaks to children in Kenya and encourages them to stay in school, pursue their education and why she wants all children to have the opportunity to pursue sports. At Q&A sessions at marathons around the world, she speaks to adults and children about the benefits of participating in sports. Because of the example Catherine has set for other young girls growing up in Kenya, there are more girls pursuing sports and even believing that they can earn a living through athletics. The young girls that you have read about in my blog and come here from Kenya to train in Norristown (outside of Philadelphia) cite Catherine as their role model and are thankful that she has paved the way for them to have careers in running.

At the press conference today, I listened to the various speakers talk about how Title IX has affected them or their children. I listened to Susan Slawson, Commissioner of Recreation for the City of Philadelphia talk about the city’s commitment to this campaign and to keeping girls active and healthy. She speaks from experience having been a teen mother and although she doesn’t regret having had a child, wonders if Title IX would have lead her down a different path. I listened to Carol Tracy, the Executive Director of the Women’s Law Project speak about the rights girls are entitled to and how there are still areas where there is non-compliance. It was inspiring to hear Carol Bower’s experience as a U.S. Olympic Gold Medalist in rowing and how sports affected her life. Because of Title IX, Christine Shimel was afforded the opportunity to play golf in high school and is the girls 2008 Pennsylvania High School State Golf Champion and has received a scholarship to attend the University of Maryland in the fall. And Lurline Jones, who for 27 years coached the inner city University City High girls basketball team, leading to an impressive 647-202 record and many championships, spoke about the number of her players who have gone on to become doctors and lawyers and have successful careers because their love for the game kept them in school, out of trouble and gave them the tools for success. It sounds like the education system in Kenya can learn a lot from examples such as these.

Pictured from left: Lurine Jones (Coaching Legend, University City High), Terri Lakowski(Women's Sports Foundation), Christine Shimel (Kennett H.S. Senior), Wilma McNabb (President, Professional Football Players Mother's Association, Executive Director, Donovan McNabb Foundation), Carol Tracy (Executive Director, Women's Law Project), Carol Bower (1984 U.S. Olympic Gold Medalist, Rowing)

Probably the most recognizable name at the press conference was Wilma McNabb, mother of Philadelphia Eagles Donovan McNabb and a long time youth sports advocate. She understands the value of sports for children and wants to be sure that girls have the same opportunities as boys. Mrs. McNabb is also the Executive Director of the Donovan McNabb foundation which is dedicated to diabetes and she knows firsthand how important activity is in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Participation in athletics lays the groundwork for children to be active and why shouldn’t girls have the same opportunity as boys!

I now realize how lucky I am to have grown up with the benefits of Title IX. I think the goal of this campaign is great; reaching out to students, parents, coaches, athletic directors, administrators and community leaders to advocate for equal treatment in school and community sports programs. I can only imagine how much Kenya could benefit from having more women contributing to society outside of the home, with successful careers whether in sports or not, and earning an income. How wonderful to have girls involved in something that would reduce their risk of teen pregnancy, something that is quite common in Kenya.

Okay, I will step down from the soapbox now! I will say that it was a pleasure to meet everyone at the press conference yesterday, especially Wilma and Sam McNabb. They were both so nice and gracious and being that I’ve been a life-long Philadelphian and Eagles fan whose parents have had season tickets forever and who is the beneficiary of many of those tickets each year, it was really cool to meet them! I assured them I will be wearing my #5 jersey this weekend during the Super Bowl even though we didn’t quite make it!


Sam and Wilma McNabb

My website for the film is under construction and I will post it as soon as it is complete. I am hoping to get back to Kenya in late April following the London Marathon but of course this will all depend on the fundraising. Please feel free to contact me if you know of anyone who would be interested in helping with the funding of this project! :-)

In the meantime, you can find more information on the V is for Victory. So is IX. campaign at these two websites: www.vis4victory.org and www.vis4victory.org/girls

I hope one day WinCatherine: The Story of Wincatherine Nyambura Ndereba will inspire girls around the world, and in this country, make girls appreciate the opportunities that they have and how lucky they are!