Running: Our Community at its Best

Come January 2013, Run4Roots participants will be running the Miami Half Marathon at the same time as youth in Cuba run a parallel race. This historical occasion will build a bridge and connect two communities who yearn to know each other and innovate together. As the reality of our counterparts on the island continues to change, this is more important than ever. 

Here is the story of Chris, who ran the Miami Half Marathon with us last year and will be hitting the pavement again next January. Check out his reason for running and step up to join her by registering here! It's time to hit the ground running for something YOU believe in. 

Running: Our Community at its Best
By Chris G.

The reasons I run for my roots are simple.

In 27 years sprinkled with moments like winning a football championship and speaking to a crowd of 5,000, I’ve lived some cool experiences.  Few, if any, compare to Run 4 Roots. 

A year ago, Run 4 Roots gave me an opportunity to honor my grandfather’s legacy (my sister and I raised money in his memory) while running the ING Miami Half Marathon. This was personally significant, but I didn’t expect to experience something more powerful too – the essence of my community.

Leading up the race I wasn’t exactly in run-13-miles shape. I’m not sure I had ever run anywhere near 10 miles! And worse, since I had barely trained, I had real doubts I could finish the race.  (If you’re wondering, yes training properly for a half-marathon is advisable.) As I ambled to the starting line in the pre-dawn darkness, the sea of people who were about to take the same journey comforted me.

The race was every bit as challenging as I imagined, but it exposed me to a side of my hometown I had never experienced.  It was pure, unbridled human spirit coming together to create the most potent and tangible feeling of community I can remember.  It was Miami, the United States, or even humanity, at its finest.

I chose to Run 4 Roots again this year because now I have a unique opportunity to share that face of my community with some (soon to be) friends from Cuba. If all works out, young people from Cuba will either be racing alongside me or figuratively tracing the same route in Cuba. Either way, I’m going to tell them all about the perfect strangers who wildly cheered me on last year.

I’ll share that it wasn’t just a couple points in the race, but throughout. And when I was ready to give up, a random smiling face would shout encouragement. Then it was my running mates pushing me to fight on.  Later it was the live bands providing a distraction down the home stretch of the race that kept me going.

The combination of overcoming a grueling challenge, overwhelming support from the community, and personal fulfillment in crossing the finish line combined to make it an incredible, uplifting experience.

It was a snapshot of what life and my community can have to offer.

  

Those are things I want Cubans to experience too. 

Register to run with us and start the year by making a tangible impact in the lives of youth just 90 miles from our shores! If you still need some convincing, check out photos from last year's race on our Facebook page.

Running for Empowerment

Come January 2013, Run4Roots participants will be running the Miami Half Marathon at the same time as youth in Cuba run a parallel race. This historical occasion will build a bridge and connect two communities who yearn to know each other and innovate together. As the reality of our counterparts on the island continues to change, this is more important than ever. 

Below is the story of Hanny, a first time Run4Roots participant. Check out her reason for running and step up to join her by registering here! It's time to hit the ground running for something YOU believe in. 

Running for Empowerment
By Hanny R.

I used to hate running, and I do mean hate. Growing up in sunny Miami – where most Physical Education classes are, for some absurd reason, held around midday – doing laps around the school field was my worse nightmare. The heat, the panting, the desperate thirst, in summary, an overall awful experience for me. I did, however, love to dance, and started on my first dance team at around age 10.

I left sunny South Florida for college and migrated North, to Boston, MA. I joined my college dance team and was absolutely loving the experience, until a few months into my freshman year, my knees started having serious issues. After lots of visits to doctors and lengthy medical-jargon-filled explanations, I had to stop dancing and let my body heal. I, unfortunately - or perhaps fortunately - am not one to sit still. Instead, I decided to start running. I am not completely sure why. Perhaps, it was the sight of all the happy joggers cruising through the scenic routes around the Charles River, or maybe it was the challenge of trying to tackle an activity for which I had always held such apprehension and disinterest.

I know you’re probably thinking that running sounds like a terrible idea for someone with knee problems, right? Well, most doctors would agree, and my own doctor was rather appalled when I mentioned it. Surprisingly, running actually helped me recover a lot quicker than expected; but perhaps more importantly, I discovered I actually liked running, maybe even love running. During a time in my life, when I felt completely powerless and unable to do what I loved most – dance – running, helped me find a way to take back some control. When I was out there was no one to disappoint, no one to impress, except myself. I came to realize that I had the ability to keep going and surpass my expectations, to push through when I started feeling tired, and to keep moving.

There are tons of overused clichés about having confidence in oneself, or the power of believing you can do something, but behind the platitudes there is a lot of truth. I will run on behalf of Run for Roots in January because I believe that running is a very effective vehicle for self-empowerment. The Roots of Hope mission is to empower youth in Cuba to be the authors of their own future. There are million ways to do this, but empowering them with a belief in themselves first, at the most basic level, that of their bodies and spirit, is the essential starting point. I am immensely excited and proud that we will have parallel runners on the island.

Register to run with us and start the year by making a tangible impact in the lives of youth just 90 miles from our shores! If you still need some convincing, check out photos from last year's race on our Facebook page.

Running for Hope

Come January 2013, Run4Roots participants will be running the Miami Half Marathon at the same time as youth in Cuba run a parallel race. This historical occasion will build a bridge and connect two communities who yearn to know each other and innovate together. As the reality of our counterparts on the island continues to change, this is more important than ever. 

Here is the story of Maritza, who ran with Run4Roots in 2012 and will be hitting the pavement again in 2013. Check out her reason for running and step up to join her by registering here! It's time to hit the ground running for something YOU believe in. 

I Run Because I Hope
By Maritza A.

It's about the rarity of one action occurring at the same time in two very close but distant countries. The politics, frustration, anger, and dejection on both sides come to a halt for a moment where we stand in parallel side by side armored in unity and love. Miami and Cuba running in parallel...doing anything in parallel is symbolic of the deeply seeded emotional and heartfelt roots that we carry for the youth in Cuba. There's this unspeakable bond where you know the heart of what's on either side longs for each other. The youth in Cuba face a world of unknowns and hardship. While they 'live it up' just like us, it's a vastly different world behind closed doors. I get to face hope everyday in its eyes. We stare each other down and see where my next big step is going to take me. Reminds me of Emily Dickinson's "Hope" below.

"Hope" by Emily Dickinson

That perches in the soul, 
And sings the tune--without the words, 
And never stops at all,
And sore must be the storm 
That could abash the little bird 
That kept so many warm.
And on the strangest sea; 
Yet, never, in extremity, 
It asked a crumb of me.

Hope is the thing with feathers 
And sweetest in the gale is heard; 
I've heard it in the chillest land, 

Those of us who have freedom of speech take some small chances at life sometimes because we take opportunity for granted. The idea of what you can accomplish tomorrow and your 'next steps' in your career is nearly a vanished thought in the daily life of a Cuban youth. We get to envision a future colored with travel, exploration, education...whatever we want. I get to dream BIG, because those dreams can come true. But if you knew they couldn't ever become true under a government that's eradicated any tolerance for freedom of speech and economic willpower, would you keep hoping? This idea of "hope" and "change" for the youth of Cuba is truncated by a volatile economic and political state. I run for the Cuban youth, and we run together because they CAN be the authors of their own futures. It's demonstrated in this half marathon. We run in parallel on one day because we stand for hope, change, and freedom of choice. This is change. This is hope staring us in the face.

Register to run with us and start the year by making a tangible impact in the lives of youth just 90 miles from our shores! If you still need some convincing, check out photos from last year's race on our Facebook page.

Why Run for Roots? Part 9

Run for Roots is a new initiative that embodies the Roots of Hope mission by seeking to draw attention and collect funds in support of Cuban youth. The participants who will be running the Miami Half Marathon in January 2012 are motivated to do so by the desire to be agents of change and help empower youth on the island through innovative programs such Roots of Hope as Cells 4 Cuba and our Family Reunification Program. To learn more about Run for Roots, visit our website. To donate, visit our Crowdrise page.

Why do we run?

By Elena Castañeda

I won’t tell a lie, running is hard. Physically, running long distances takes its toll on your feet, legs and muscles. It’s hard to get yourself to run – whether it’s for a short jog, or a full marathon. Running in the heat, or the extreme cold, or rain, makes it even more tiresome.

Yet, why do runners run? Because running strengthens the soul. Running gives individuals a sense of resolve and determination that is nearly impossible to replicate. Working towards a finish line, a goal, empowers the mind, let alone the body.

The transformation that the Run for Roots athletes are undergoing through running echoes the transformation we seek to achieve in Cuba. Among our generation, a transformation is imminent…change is slow, but it is coming.

Cuban youth today are growing up in an environment where no one has achieved their dreams. Education, hard work and hope has led to physicians driving taxis and lawyers serving as barbers. The biggest dream among Cubans of my generation is to escape, to leave Cuba, to where opportunities abound. We, by contrast, are extraordinarily lucky to live in a world where we are told, from the moment we walk into school, “Follow your dreams. The sky’s the limit.”

What can we do to help our counterparts in Cuba plant the seeds of empowerment? We can help grow a sense of community. Roots of Hope seeks to cultivate a community of Cubans who freely share information, build bonds, and support each other as they begin to tentatively share their plans for the future.

Slowly, by facilitating the creation of ties between individuals through technology such as cell phones, we can begin to capitalize on the small freedoms that are beginning to spring in Cuba. For example, it is now legal to hold a number of different entrepreneurial roles in Cuba.

Cuban entrepreneurs are the future of Cuba. And those entrepreneurs are my generation, the generation that hasn’t yet lost hope. Let’s help them connect with each other and transform themselves, their businesses, their communities. This is the key to real, lasting change – change we desperately need. And if running one mile can help them get one inch closer – then I’ll happily run 13 miles, and more.

Why Run for Roots? Part 8

Run for Roots is a new initiative that embodies the Roots of Hope mission by seeking to draw attention and collect funds in support of Cuban youth. The participants who will be running the Miami Half Marathon in January 2012 are motivated to do so by the desire to be agents of change and help empower youth on the island through innovative programs such Roots of Hope as Cells 4 Cuba and our Family Reunification Program. To learn more about Run for Roots, visit our website. To donate, visit our Crowdrise page.

Because we can, we must

By Natalia Martinez

It is the last week before our race and each day that gets crossed off the calendar is an acute reminder of how much I am not ready for Sunday’s half-marathon. Allowing a moment for excuses: I had an insane couple of months of 12-hour days between work and finishing my graduate degree, and then I went traveling for a month.

Excuses aside, the bottom line is: I love running, I ran two half marathons last year, but I am nowhere near “ready” or “comfortable” for this one. And I don’t mean in the way that smart, or fast, or talented people always say they’re “not ready” as a pitiful euphemism designed to widen the gap between what their actual performance will be, thus leading to your surprise and admiration….I.am.actually.not.ready.

And yet, I plan to show up on Sunday and run my body into submission with the best weapons I have: commitment, pride, and friends. We are running as a group and – more importantly – we are running for something we deeply believe in: the right of youth in Cuba to determine and build their own future, as well as our obligation to fan the flames of their efforts in whatever way possible.

“[…] A runner runs against himself, against the best that’s in him […] Against all the rotten mess in the world.” – Bill Persons

In this context, to endure two hours of bodily pain (within reason) and two days of soreness seem entirely worth it when what is at stake is taking a stand for the freedoms and possibilities of people just like me 90 miles away. I was born in Cuba and have throughout the years reminded myself to be thankful for any difficulties because the challenges I was facing were almost certainly intertwined in precisely the kinds of opportunities I would not have had if my life had progressed differently. In the Jorge Luis Borges garden of bifurcating paths, all versions of our lives unfold simultaneously, and I have often closed my eyes and stared at the other possibilities to remind myself just how truly lucky and blessed I have been.

As a result of my life's trajectory, my motto has been "Because I can, I must." In this light, onwards and upwards with the race on Sunday!

Why Run for Roots? Part 5

Run for Roots is a new initiative that embodies the Roots of Hope mission by seeking to draw attention and collect funds in support of Cuban youth. The participants who will be running the Miami Half Marathon in January 2012 are motivated to do so by the desire to be agents of change and help empower youth on the island through innovative programs such Roots of Hope as Cells 4 Cuba and our Family Reunification Program. To learn more about Run for Roots, visit our website. To donate, visit our Crowdrise page.

Why I Run

By Maritza B. Aldir

Raw emotion. Humility. Truth. Hope. Hopelessness. Courage. Fear. Desire. Dream. Change. Passion. Happiness. Laughter. Intelligence. Selflessness. Helpless. Powerless. Motivation. Creativity. Innovation. Love. Kindness. Acceptance. Brilliance. Human rights. All of these words stream through my mind when I parallel my reality to the reality of people who aren’t free.

My motivation to run isn’t based on any politics, nor is it to wish for Cuba’s government officials to die one day. I could care less. It’s based on a human’s right to live without persecution for acting on the freedom of expression, the right to having liberty, the right to hope for change, the right to dream. The right to dream big, and speak freely of one’s dreams. It’s based on empowering youth to become their own authors of their own futures. I am my own author.

Most young people don’t care about the politics in Cuba. I don’t either, to be honest. The situation in Cuba is tiring, the struggles, the lack of empowerment, the lack of change, the lack of hope, and the lack of any promise for a future – for many. Some contently live their lives, turn their heads away from the government, and make the most of it.  I think of others who take an open stance to disagree with the repressive government. I commend the courageous people who currently stand up to living their dreams, and dream to actualize living in a free Cuba. Still, even the general public hopes for some kind of ‘cambio’ (“change”) whether it is eventually living outside of Cuba or staying where they are and desiring some kind of change. This is truth. No one talks about it out of fear, but everyone thinks it.

I think of one guy I spoke with my age a few years ago. I was graduating at the time from Agnes Scott College, a premier liberal arts college I had chosen for undergrad whose mission is to “educate women to think deeply, live honorably and engage in the intellectual and social challenges of our times”. This young man lived in the outskirts of Cuba. I can still hear his voice, monotone at best. He sounded hopeless, as he explained his day-to-day of helping his dad care for their goats and chickens. That was his past, present and future. He explained he really didn’t think anyone outside of Cuba knew or cared about his existence, and was intrigued by my desire to know more about him. We ended the conversation laughing. I’ll never forget that call. After speaking to and hearing more youth echo this young man’s sentiment about their current situation and futures, I became broken inside. This is the country my parents were born and raised in, opted to flee from, and still carry a heavy burden inside that they’ve chosen never to speak of over 40 years later. Our worlds united for those singular moments chatting over the phone for that one moment through these insightful, silently tearful, funny and unforgettable conversations. But our realities were so opposite and poorly disconnected once we hung up the phones. They go back to their reality, and I go back to mine. I get to say what’s on my mind without wondering if I’m going to get in trouble with the government. I don’t need to go through a black market for things I need or want. I can live wherever I want, for the most part. I can discuss and disagree with my nation’s politics in an open forum. I can pick any career I want, and opt to work in what I study or not. I can make no income or a lot of income. I can listen to whatever music I want, anywhere and in public (for the most part). I can jump on a plane tomorrow. I can fabulously wine and dine. I can read anything my little heart desires. I don’t get hurt or get incarcerated when I think differently than others, or stand up for what I believe in. This is a human thing, not a Cuban thing. This is called human rights. Under the “The Universal Declaration of Human Rights” as defined by the United Nations, Cuba has violated the articles defining a human's right to a basic, dignified life.
 
The above is why I’m running. I suddenly forget about the fact that my doctors have told me I “shouldn’t” run because of my severe asthma, and the fact that I’ve never really jogged more than a block in my lifetime prior to 2 months ago. Well, this girl who had several (embarrassing) ambulance visits during "P.E." (Physical Education) throughout middle school for attempting to run is now running, and I’m running for something that’s greater than me. It’s weird, but I’m a change maker in action. I defeated my own negative thoughts by struggling for my own freedom to own my health, and I've been able to tackle this challenge knowing that my “struggle to be free” is but a mere obstacle in comparison to the struggles of someone who lives in fear to speak their mind. 

I’m running for the youth, and in memory of the late Laura Pollan—a hero who fought for her husband’s unjust incarceration all for dreaming and desiring for a different Cuba. Laura Pollan was fired as a schoolteacher as a result, and became the spokesperson for the “Las Damas de Blanco” (Ladies in White). She courageously stood in solitude in the streets of Cuba demanding her husband’s freedom alongside many others who continue to fight for their families to be free. They stand in solitude with peace and humility. stand in solitude with peace and humility. They embody the “foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world” as depicted in “The Universal Declaration of Human Rights” as written by the UN. For them, I run.

Donate to my run: www.crowdrise.com/mbaldir 

Why Run for Roots? Part 4

Run for Roots is a new initiative that embodies the Roots of Hope mission by seeking to draw attention and collect funds in support of Cuban youth. The participants who will be running the Miami Half Marathon in January 2012 are motivated to do so by the desire to be agents of change and help empower youth on the island through innovative programs such Roots of Hope as Cells 4 Cuba and our Family Reunification Program. To learn more about Run for Roots, visit our website. To donate, visit our Crowdrise page.

I run because...

By Nathalie Marcos

We all have a reason for everything we do, whether it is staying at a dull job just to pay off student loans or spending all day roasting a pig on Christmas Eve just like our grandfather did years ago.

Running is no different. For some it might be in memory of their late aunt who passed away from Cancer or to honor the brave men and women who fight for our liberty overseas. For me, it is the 11.2 million people living without freedom in Cuba that make me strive to reach the finish line. These Cubans are my brothers and sisters whom I have never met. I have no blood relation to them and all have lived a very different life. So why do they mean so much to me? Because their everyday struggles are something that my family endured many decades ago in the same small island only 90 miles from where I was born. My uncle was beaten in prison, my father was separated from his parents, and my grandfather’s businesses were overtaken by the government time and time again. Luckily, my family was able to escape but others weren’t so lucky.

However, growing up, my family never forgot that others were still suffering. Both my parents made sure to not just read about what was happening in Cuba, but to do something about it. In first grade, my mom and I set up a food drive for Cuba. My father went on two medical missions to Guantanamo Bay in the 1990s and my mother went back ten years after she left to bring hope to family members still on the island. I stood outside Elian’s house during his custody battle and I prayed after the planes of Brothers to the Rescue were shot down over international waters.

Witnessing these events took a big toll on me. I waited for my turn to make an impact, and then I found Raices de Esperanza. Through this family of passionate young leaders, I have taken part in innovative ways to help my counterparts on the island. The most recent of which is Run for Roots.

The Cuban reality is hard to explain because those of us who live in freedom can only imagine it to be a fantastical nightmare. Those still in the island today are silenced by fear or disillusioned by brutality. Unable to leave Cuba, their everyday life is dictated by political propaganda and ration cards. Cellphones are a luxury and the ability to decide your future merely an illusion.

Look, I know I cannot free an island by myself and running a half marathon cannot directly change the fate of those I speak of. My efforts are small but they are genuine.

When I run, I think of the Ladies in White. These brave women march the streets of Havana each week for the release of their loved ones in prison who were wrongly incarcerated. They have been beaten without mercy and yet they continue their mission. Their desperation outweighs their fear.

I also think of Yoanis Sanchez, the voice of the Cuban reality. I think of everything she goes through just to share her thoughts on the internet. I also think of my direct counterpart, the average 24-year-old Cuban girl who dreams of making something of herself, of bettering the world around her, and yet her aspirations are merely a fading illusion simply because she lives in an island that does not believe she has the right to dictate her own future. With every mile, I carry with me her dreams. I carry the determination to end the struggle. I carry with me the hope of a better future for the island of Cuba.

I run for my brothers and sisters. Together, the finish line is only the beginning.

Why Run for Roots? Part 3

Run for Roots is a new initiative that embodies the Roots of Hope mission by seeking to draw attention and collect funds in support of Cuban youth. The participants who will be running the Miami Half Marathon in January 2012 are motivated to do so by the desire to be agents of change and help empower youth on the island through innovative programs such Roots of Hope as Cells 4 Cuba and our Family Reunification Program. To learn more about Run for Roots, visit our website. To donate, visit our Crowdrise page.

Why I run

By Lolita Sosa

I've very often stood in front of a mirror, clad in shorts and a shirt, wondering why.
Why am I pushing myself so hard?
Why run more than what my typical workout requires?
Why spend hours with my feet slapping the road, sweat gathering in my curly hair, and mind begging for rest?

To be completely honest, I began to run for myself. I have been born and bred in a surrounding that praises tidiness and conventionalism. Growing up, I was told: "Yes, you can do sports. But you're a girl. And girls aren't really good at them. Boys are. And so you'll be competing with them always." 

My decision to begin long-distance running was a decision based on defiance. I have always refused to believe that worth was tied to body types, looks, gender, or others' judgments on these. For me, worth has always been tied to drive, achievement, and compassion. I felt that running was the ultimate solitary way to hone these traits and express their importance to myself.

I needed drive to race against my self, my mind, and my limitations. Achievement would depend on the constraints I placed upon myself, and my decisions on whether or not to follow them. Self-compassion could be tested and refined through awareness of my body's needs, and acceptance of the red, puffy, sweaty, tired and aching body that would face me in the mirror post-run.

Running was my freedom.

When asked to run with the Roots, I was extremely hesitant. I had no idea how to connect such a personal activity to Roots of Hope's goals. Running was personal, and I wanted it to remain personal. The idea of family or friends becoming involved seemed unnecessary.

As I was considering it, I spoke to Roots of Hope members that I was close to. I was given different opinions, but this post by Carmen Pelaez moved me. Though I had already committed myself to running the ING Half, Laura Pollan's passing gave me a new perspective.

While running, the only constraint that exists is the self's motivation. In order to push oneself through the difficult and harrowing miles, an extreme determination and worthwhile goal must be pursued. These attributes have existed in the Cuban dissidence for a long time; the dissidents are unrelenting and full of passion for their cause. I chose to run for them, learning from them, and representing them by having Laura's name on my tag during the ING.

It is with this same passion and vigor that I believe we continue our Roots of Hope view of empowering youth in Cuba. Despite the pitfalls, we always pick ourselves back up and attempt to find a practical route in helping our counterparts on the island. We are constantly innovating and, while it is cell phones and USB's for now, our actions will  reflect the realities on the island as they change. What running demands in strength and willpower has been the same as what our approach to Cuba has demanded.

Now, as I explain my crazy long-distance running hobby to others, I speak of Cuba. Both Cuba and running are part of who I am; there was no reason that they should have been separate.

Why Run for Roots? Part 2

Run for Roots is a new initiative that embodies the Roots of Hope mission by seeking to draw attention and collect funds in support of Cuban youth. The participants who will be running the Miami Half Marathon in January 2012 are motivated to do so by the desire to be agents of change and help empower youth on the island through innovative programs such Roots of Hope as Cells 4 Cuba and our Family Reunification Program. To learn more about Run for Roots, visit our website. To donate, visit our Crowdrise page.

GOING FORWARD

By Carmen Pelaez

The first time we ran as the RUN FOR ROOTS group, I pretty much felt the same as every other road race at the start. Then half way into the first mile, I started thinking about Cuba. And I realized that I had never thought about Cuba while running in forward motion. Yes, I had thought about Cuba’s tomorrows and yestedays many times-but something about one foot in front of another, about actually physically moving through space in a forward motion was liberating and had me at the point of tears. Just as I could barely feel the street beneath my feet, I passed in front of the New York Historical society which was undergoing a renovation. The banners that served as cover for the construction were covered in portraits of important New Yorkers. I stopped in my tracks when I saw the thoughtful face of Felix Varela.

He looked weary but determined. His expression was very similar to the expression I have seen a pass on most of our dissidents faces and felt deep in my own heart when it comes to all things Cuba. It’s kind of amazing how many times our little island has had to fight for its freedom with only small moments of rest in between. And it occurred to me that working for a civil society in Cuba is very much like long distance running. More often than not the conversation is frustrating, the work exhausting with only a few moments of brilliant inspiration to keep you going when you think you don’t have anything else left in the tank. That’s when I knew that running the Miami Half Marathon would be a very poetic and appropriate way to raise money for the ROOTS OF HOPE programs that I am so proud to support.

I started my training soon after Laura Pollan died and decided to run the race in her honor. I had hoped to be tireless and fierce and post my best half marathon time ever. But as usual, inspiration was fleeting. My training has been exhausting and I have been sick, cold and feeling utterly at a loss for my lack of strength and stamina. I haven’t been able to fundraise a lot of and it all just started to feel like a futile effort.

Then this past week I was lucky enough to ask Yoani Sanchez a question on a Columbia University produced internet radio program moderated by Mirta Ojito. I asked how we could support Cuban youth in a direct and daily way, in the same vein that her activism continually inspires us. Without pause she answered ‘Information.’ She said the best we could do to support the Cuban populous is by giving them ways to access information. That we needed to continue the work that ROOTS OF HOPE does as far as giving away cell phones and flash drives to Cubans so that they can educate themselves through technology and become a part of the world at large. Suddenly every step I ran in training, every crunch, every ache had a purpose, reminding me that even though at times the distance may seem insurmountable, every run has an end. The important things is to keep moving.

So, on January 29th, 2012 I will be running the ING Miami Half Marathon. As I work through the city that has given my family and so many other Cubans asylum I will meditate on how our dissidents have kept the hopes for a free and civil Cuban society moving forward. I will let their hope fuel mine and I will run with a full heart and my eyes fixed firmly on the future of our much oppressed but splendidly resilient Cuba.

Carmen Pelaez is a New York based actor, playwright, and author. Her professional page can be seen here.

Why Run for Roots? Part 1

Run for Roots is a new initiative that embodies the Roots of Hope mission by seeking to draw attention and collect funds in support of Cuban youth. The participants who will be running the Miami Half Marathon in January 2012 are motivated to do so by the desire to be agents of change and help empower youth on the island through innovative programs such Roots of Hope as Cells 4 Cuba and our Family Reunification Program. To learn more about Run for Roots, visit our website. To donate, visit our Crowdrise page.

Why I'm running

By Miraisy Rodriguez

In all honesty, I'm running because my fellow Roots won't let me quit. That's how I got started too.

Being as involved as I am with Roots of Hope, Inc., it was impossible for me to have missed the excited whispers of a Run for Roots initiative. Less than six months after I first heard the idea, it had become much more than a whisper, and before I knew it I was getting emails and Facebook posts about joining the group and training for the ING Half Marathon.

The I, N...what?! 13.1 miles?! The most I'd ever jogged in my life was 3 miles and that was over two years ago when I was a college student with time on my hands. Now I'm in law school and working and I have a dog and a baby niece!

To my great surprise when I mentioned the idea to my sister, someone who attends quite a bit of Miami Root events, she was ecstatic. Not only did she encourage me to do it, she started training with me! If a young woman with a new born baby could do it...I could too. She wasn't the only Root that jumped on the idea. Many more suddenly started emailing and texting me until I found myself emailing and texting yet more people, asking them to join us.

Sure, our core Miami team isn't as large as the day we first started, but no one has left without talking to someone else on the team and seriously considering whether they should stay. For me, that "should I leave?" talk happened very recently.

A couple of Roots were asking me to confirm the location of the weekly group practice when I decided to call one of them back (the running Guru of the Miami Roots) and tell her I was thinking of quitting. Her response: "No. Try something new... Gatorade instead of water to hydrate. You can't quit. Where's practice?"

So practice goes on, and I continue training, slowly but surely, because my Roots won't let me quit.

Because whether we're running to raise money for Roots of Hope, Inc. or because we're thinking of a friend on that island not so far way, or because we just like running and this is as good a cause as any, one thing's for sure: training together has brought us closer together.

And no one likes to see someone close to them leave.

Miraisy Rodriguez was born in Santa Clara, but raised in Miami. She is a second year law student who likes to blog on her free time and volunteers with the Miami Roots’ Network. Her personal blog may be found at www.miraisy.com.

Launching Run for Roots!

Roots of Hope kicked off the inaugural run for its Run for Roots campaign on Saturday, June 11th, 2011 in New York City’s Central Park. Carmen Pelaez, Ana Pelaez, Natalia Martinez and Elena Castañeda powered through the New York Road Runner’s Mini 10k to raise awareness about Roots of Hope and its mission of empowering Cuban youth. The run was coupled with a grassroots, online fundraising drive, conducted during the weeks leading up to the race.

Run for Roots is a new campaign designed to bring a sense of purpose to the athletic events out members and supporters often participate in. It is also an opportunity to rally others to support our commitment to Roots of Hope and bring awareness to the plight of youth in Cuba.

In the coming months, we will continue to select and run races in several cities throughout the US, as well as refine the program further. Run for Roots will culminate in a running of the ING Miami Half Marathon on January 29, 2012. Roots of Hope is registered as a participating charity and participants will be able to select to run under our name!

If you think you have a race that would be an awesome opportunity for Run for Roots in your city or would like to join us for the half marathon in Miami, please let us know! Any questions, great ideas, etc - please reach out to Elena (elena@raicesdeesperanza.org) or Natalia (natalia@raicesdeesperanza.org)!