Desert Run
- Bringing Safe Drinking Water to Africa -

Completed Safe Drinking Water Wells

About Desert Run

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About Desert Run

It was the fall of 2007 and Arno Ekkert and Mathias Fast, though both working and in college, were itching for a new challenge. They were both quite athletic – why not try a long distance run? Why not a really, really long run, say from their hometown of Richmond, B.C to the Ekkert family’s annual vacation spot, Osoyoos – 400km away? Running for a cause seemed even better and so the idea to raise money for water in Africa, a cause Arno was particularly passionate about, was born.

Training began in November 2008, overwhelmed by the logistics of planning such a run, the idea was slowly grinding to a halt. And then in February 2009, while travelling in Australia, the car Arno and a friend were in collided with another vehicle and both young men were killed upon impact. A week after the accident Johnny Friesen and Phil Seel approached Mathias – they wanted in. Soon Tim Walton and Arno’s borther Conroy Ekkert also joined and the run was again a go. The goal: to raise $50,000 for Lifewater Canada by running 30+km a day for almost 2 weeks from Osoyoos to Richmond. The redefined reason: to provide fresh water for Africa and to commemorate their friend and brother, Arno.

The Desert Run team started off on the last day of August in Osoyoos, and finished in Richmond on September 11. As reported in http://canadianchristianity.com, "What a finish it was" said Mathias Fast. "We crossed the finish line to the sound of ‘Fix You’ by Coldplay, exactly the way Arno and I had imagined it." Along the route from Osoyoos through Manning Park to the coast, the runners weathered heat, blisters, impatient drivers, achy legs, rain and other challenges. Still, for the most part it was a good experience. "We had quite a few people come up and run with us on various days," noted Fast, "which was a big help and broke up some of the monotony of six hours of running. All of us runners are tired and sore – but ecstatic that we were all able to finish. There were plenty of tough days and the grind of getting up at 5 am to run 35 kilometres." Fast added: "It was only possible by the grace of God."

The men blogged duirng one run. One blog excerpt extolled the benefits of exercise: "The aches and pains are becoming more numerous, and it’s kind of like the wheel of fortune. Spin the wheel and see which body part will hurt today. We have stooped to the point of using horse medicine to soothe our ailments. Alas, we still see ourselves using canes much earlier in life than expected.". Ekkert wrote: "If you can win the battle over your mind, you can do almost anything. I have discovered how amazing God made the body, and how much it can actually do."

The Desert Run finished in a spirited way, as described in one of Tim Walton’s final blogs: "As we ran past our old stomping grounds (Richmond Christian School), we were greeted by 500-plus students and staff holding signs and screaming encouragement. Hands that were once sweaty were quickly dried from high-fiving tons of kids; and legs that were sore seconds before suddenly felt like a million bucks. There was even a band playing for us!".

Although the Desert Run event is now over, the need for safe water continues. If you would like to help sponsor more wells in Africa, please give on-line at www.lifewater.ca - Every $1 provides an African child with safe water for a year! Thank-you for your support and for reaching out and making a difference in this world! On behalf of the thousands of very real people you've touched, the volunteers of Desert Run and Lifewater Canada thank everyone for their support! Read more about the run