Rotary International District 5360
3688 48 Avenue NE T3J 5C8 Calgary, AB, Canada

Check out the amazing items coming up for Auction next week. There is plenty for giving! And also lots for having !!

Congratulations to the Rotary Club and the Young Professional Satellite Club of Cochrane.

THE SECRET MARATHON Rotary Club of Cochrane member Martin Parnell, a celebrated marathon runner who once ran 250 races in one year prior to having a blood clot ...in his brain, was our program speaker October 7. At first the stroke left him unable to even walk unassisted to the bathroom in hospital. His recovery included sleeping 18 hours a day and being depressed. He then started to walk short distances, gradually working up to doing a 5K walk. After reading a story in the Guardian newspaper about the first-ever marathon in Afghanistan and its only female participant, Martin became intrigued with her story. Zainab was called a prostitute and had chunks of concrete thrown at her for daring to run but she wouldn’t give up and became the first Afghani woman to compete in a marathon. Martin told his wife if he could get better, he would go to run that marathon with her and a year later he was on a plane to Afghanistan. The marathon took place in Band-e Amir National Park at an elevation of 3,000-plus metres. A charity group Free To Run and Afghan Girl Guides encouraged 100 school girls to run in the 10K segment. Free To Run supports women and girls in conflict zones who want to participate in sports. Zainab was unable to participate because she was pregnant and later gave birth to a daughter. Martin ran alongside a young woman who was about to give up but he encouraged her as he ran beside her. He said it was the slowest marathon he had ever run but it was the best he had ever done as they crossed the finish line together, eight minutes under the nine-hour maximum limit. He decided to go back to Afghanistan again and document the marathon with female filmmaker Kate McKenzie who to trained to run a marathon in order to record the documentary. The film will be shown online in January 2021. He is going to provide Sara with provide a link so our club members can watch it. Martin told our meeting that in 2016 six women ran in the Afghan marathon, in 2017 there were 12, in 2018 there were 24 and last year there were 50. Martin has written three books: A Marathon Quest, Running to the Edge and The Secret Marathon. He helps to fundraise to support charities, like Free To Run, which provide for females who want to run and play sports. The money was used to buy kayaks one year and the next year, the girls said they wanted to learn to play hockey. They watched You Tube to learn how to lay an ice pad and were provided with hockey sticks, pucks and skates so they could achieve their goal. Rotary members and others have been involved, including The Running Room and Girl Guides of Canada, in holding runs in communities around the world. Each of three charities received $6,000 from the events. This year the event at the end of October will be held virtually. See more

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