On your mark.... Get set... WHEEL!

This past weekend was the 29th Annual Oita International Wheelchair Marathon. We have started taking a Thursday evening Japanese class. Last week class was canceled and we were invited to a dinner in honor of the Marathon participants. We met a few of the racers and ate and talked with them.

Race day: The weather was bad. Cold and wet! But once the gun fired, signaling the start, there was no time to whine. The racers started on their long journey up hills, across bridges and through the city of Oita. A long 42.195km race! The racers had trouble finding their grip on the wet surface but all managed to cross the finish line. We stood there waving our German flags, a girl scout had given to us. "GANBATTE!" we shouted to the racers, which means "Good luck!" or "Doing a good job!"
There was a gentlemen we had met, at the dinner, named Peter Hawkins. He had been paralyzed in a bad car accident at the age of 18. During his senior year of HS. After a party he was drunk in the back seat, sound asleep. His friend driving the car, decided to drag race another friend. They hit a bump and the car flipped twice. Peter was thrown out of the front window and woke up days later in the hospital. He has spent many years of his life giving talks to HS students around the states. "It would never happen to me! I was a football player, popular, muscular, good looking, ... I'm invincible!... But then it did." He tells kids that even it was not DIRECTLY his fault, his decisions caused him to be in his position.

After a trying 2 hours and 36 min, Peter Hawkins crosses the finish line exhausted in 75th place, tired and disappointed. We greeted him after his race and reminded him that it was the fact that he RAN the race and finished. We shared a smile and said our goodbyes.

That day we shed a few inspired tears knowing that these men and women are doing the best they can with their conditions and doing a GREAT job at it! For more info visit http://www.wheelchair-marathon.com/

Well, Saturday morning (Halloween) we head out to Hong Kong. We will be staying with the Kyle's, parent's of a friend from college and church. Will have pictures up soon!