Congratulations Girls!

I am thrilled to report that the girls won every event they entered. Rehema took first place in the 400 and 800 meters, Faisila and Anastazia battled it out to the finish line to finish 1-2 in the 1500m, and Zaituni and Natalia ran a strong, fast 5,000m to take 1st and 2nd. Juma, the only boy on Team 100, also finished 1st in the men's 5000m race. The Manyara Region is a newly formed region in Tanzania and as such, has few athletes and even fewer decent track facilities. The competition was held at Babati Stadium, but a stadium isn't exactly what I'd call it. In the center of the town is a wide-open field which serves as the community center. Foot and vehicle traffic use it as a short cut through town, cattle and goats graze on the patches of grass, church functions take place here, and now, the field is home to the town's track. Using nothing more than a shovel, the track's perimeter has been dug out and individual lanes created. The dusty, soft dirt ground is scattered with tall patches of grass, littered with holes created by the long winter rains, and lots and lots of rocks. Not exactly the ideal place for a track meet. In fact, the track perimeter was so difficult to see, that a handful of athletes actually got lost, and took shortcuts while running around the nearly invisible track. But it worked. Many athletes ran barefoot, some girls ran in skirts, and everyone seemed to have a good time.

Manyara is located in the hills above the Rift Valley and has produced many of Tanzania's best long distance runners. I met more Olympians, marathon winners, and world record holders in my 2 days in Babati than I could count on 2 hands. Unfortunately, most elite athletes from Tanzania lack the knowledge or English skills to make the most of their talent after their professional running careers are over. The majority become low-level coaches, tour operators, or involved in local politics. Without English they are confined to the East African, Swahili speaking nations, and without knowledge of world events or current running standards, they again are limited to where they came from. It frustrated, saddened, and motivated me. There is so much talent in Tanzania that is being wasted. Being a world-class athlete brings a world of opportunities to these people, but they lack the know-how of how to make the most of it. The business of running has brought great prosperity and recognition to countries like Kenya and Ethiopia. With just a few elite Kenyan runners in the 1960's, they have managed to churn out hundreds, thousands of athletes who are notorious for their amazing long-distance capabilities. Just last year, a single training camp in Kenya (located less than 100 miles from Babati), sent 27 athletes to US universities on full athletic scholarships. And for Kenya, this is normal. But for Tanzanians, Zach is one of only a handful who have ever made it to a US university. It's not that they lack the talent or the smarts, they lack the connections and the knowledge of what is available to them. And so, this is the gap that I am determined to fill with the Team 100 Athletic Scholarship Program.

Every year, starting in 2013 I am going to help 2 Tanzanian students enroll in US universities on full-athletic scholarships. Under Zach's guidance and training, there's nothing standing in the way of making this a reality. We have already picked the first 2 girls for the program, Neema Raymond (the younger sister of Rehema Raymond who joined Team 100 2 years ago) and Faudhia Shabani. Both will complete primary school (8th grade equivalent) in September and assuming they pass the National Exam to enter secondary school, they'll move to the Team 100 training camp in October and start secondary school in January. I've personally guaranteed Zach that I will find funding for these girls in the form of a grant, donations, or from my own pocket, as I know this is the start of something much bigger than then $80 a month it will cost to train, feed, clothes, and education each of them.

This morning Rehema and I said goodbye to the others and headed for Singida. We were all supposed to be traveling to Singida together, but yesterday it was confirmed that the Nationals have been rescheduled for July 11 & 12. Rehema and I came to Singida in order for me to meet her sister, Neema and the rest of her family, as well as Faudhia and her family. I am staying at the home of Mr. Massong and his wife, also named Rehema, who run the primary school where close to half of Zach's athletes attended school. Mr. Massong has been the one to identify these talented young athletes for Zach, beginning with Zachia over 10 years ago--and today she's ranked 6th in the world in the 5000m. It's amazing what's sitting right here, an amazing opportunity that I'm hoping I can help to launch Tanzania on to the world running scene and to produce athletes that aren't only exceptional runners, but well-educated scholars and visionaries who will do great things for their country.