#rah2017

Three Things You Should Know About Haiti

This post was written in 2016 by veteran RAH runner, Josh Elkes. Josh is about to embark on the 2017 Run Across Haiti.

1. The landscapes are incredible

After having run the 230 miles across Haiti for Team Tassy in 2015, I still cannot believe how unique every city, town, and village is. I could begin my morning running through flat farmlands, then hit a dusty desert by sunrise, and finally finish my run in a bustling city. The cities are unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. Instead of taxis, there are motorbikes carrying passengers and pickup trucks packed with people on the back. The rural landscapes and mountains are also incredibly unique. You see children walking up mountainsides barefoot, livestock grazing on hillsides, and trucks going at break-neck speeds around blind turns as they wind their way down to the villages and city centers. There is a lot of beauty here worth seeing.

2. The food is delicious

When I tell people about the Run Across Haiti, one of the first questions I get is, “What do you eat?” When I tell them the Haitian diet is ideal for long distance running, I get a puzzled look. While in Haiti, I ate the most delicious goat, plantains, rice, and yucca. These foods are proteins, starches, and carbs. The perfect fuel for running! My favorite food in Haiti (aside from the goat) are picklese. These are pickled vegetables and spicy peppers, which make the ultimate condiment. I’ve been counting down the days until I could enjoy these pickled wonders again!

One of our Team Tassy family members, Carmitha, has shared a favorite and traditional recipe for you to try at home!

Recipe for the rice and beans:

-two cups of rice

-one cup of beans

-three cups of water to boil the beans

-seasonings or flavoring

-moru (it’s kind of meat to put in the meal when you prepare it)

- now it’s when you will prepare the beans and the rice together you’ll use oil and then for each two cups of rice you’ll use two big spoons of oil,for the salt it’s you who will know the quantity of the salt you’ll use it’s always up to the cooker

Here is how to cook the rice and beans:

- firstly, cook the beans in a boiler. the way to cook it is to put water in a boiler and then put the beans in it also when you see the beans change color now, it’s ready

- to keep on eyes on the beans during it’s boiling. do not cook too much, once it’s ready move the beans out of the water and save the beans’ water

-now you’ll put your hot water tank on the fire. after it’s a bit hot, you put oil and then you fry moru. it’s a kind of meat to put a small piece of it and then add seasoning or flavoring. do not let the flavoring or the seasoning fry too much. now put the beans on it and let the beans fry. so dry again and then you’ll put the salt. it’s up to the cooker now. the beans’ water you saved, you’ll put it in the hot water tank and now you’ll let it boil. after that put the rice on the hot water tank while it’s boiling. the cook will taste it now and the cook can put butter depending on the butter you use so when it’s completely dry the meal is almost ready.

3. The reality is tough, but can be improved

As soon as your flight touches down in Cap Haitien, there is no avoiding the reality of Haiti.

This reality is a difficult one, filled with incredible poverty and political turmoil. The most eye opening aspect of all of this, is that it is all just a quick flight from Miami, where things couldn’t be more different. While running the miles from Cap Haitien to Jacmel, you see the everyday struggles that people go through to survive in their country. Whether it’s mother’s selling goods at the market all day in the sweltering heat, or children walking dozens of miles from their home to school each day, a lot of people are doing the best they can to make the best of what they have. It doesn’t take much to improve these situations. For example, it costs twenty-five cents for a doctor’s visit at a health clinic. This cost helps subsidize the visits for the people who cannot afford the twenty-five cent fee. Although there is a lot of work to be done in Haiti, a little goes a very long way, and a difference can absolutely be made. This is why Team Tassy’s work is so important, as we continue to see positive change in the lives of the families they support!

The following post was originally published on July 11th, 2016 after Brandy Hagel’s first trip to Haiti. Brandy is about to embark on 2017′s Run Across Haiti.

Donate to Brandy’s campaign here

My life changed for the better the week of June 25th-July 1st, 2016.  I spent this week meeting Team Tassy’s families in the community of Menelas, Haiti, where I witnessed exactly what Team Tassy does, and met several of the lives which Team Tassy is changing every day.  I have never seen a more extreme country.  This country has so much beauty, yet so much pollution.  It has so much hope, yet so much devastation.  It has so much life, yet so much poverty.  I saw firsthand the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake, and how it has affected the lives of Haiti.  It is very evident that Haiti does not need to be fixed; it needs help to rebuild.  Have you ever walked into your family’s home at Christmas after being away for some time, and the entire house smells like Christmas dinner? That instant feeling you get of love and a warm welcome that wraps you up in your entirety.  That’s how I felt with every family I had the privilege of meeting.  The kindness and generosity they show you is unparalleled.  If you ask any Haitian what they need, they will tell you a job.  Having a job in Haiti allows them to have the independence and dignity to be contributing members of their country.  And perhaps most importantly, it allows them to give their families a chance at a life away from poverty.

My entire running career has been a selfish one.  I’ve always wanted to beat my time, I’ve always wanted to place in a race and I’ve always wanted to qualify for the Boston Marathon.  It’s neverending.  My training has always been designed to make me faster, stronger, and to ultimately achieve all of those goals I just listed.  Each tempo, fartlek, speed and long run has been solely to benefit myself.  But after achieving all of my running goals thus far, I still felt unfulfilled with my love for running.  I craved something bigger, something that paired my passion for running with my passion for helping others, but I didn’t know what that was.  Until I was introduced to Paige Marzinzik and Team Tassy.  Paige ran across Haiti in 2016, which gave me more inspiration than I ever thought was possible.  I knew the moment I found out about Team Tassy was the moment I found out what I was meant to do.  

So, why run across Haiti? Why put my body through 371km over only 8 days?  This distance seems absurd to some people, nearly impossible to others.  But for me, it signifies how ‘one foot in front of the other’ creates a movement.  Every km I cover creates an opportunity for a Team Tassy family member to get a job.  Every step that I take means that one of the Team Tassy kids are able to go to school.  Every black and blue toenail and every blister I get means access to health care.  I’m running across Haiti to show how beautiful this country is and to show that Haiti is not a place to be feared or pitied.  I’m running across Haiti to show how possible it is to make a difference by doing something you love.  I’m running to inspire others, I’m running to end poverty, and I’m running for all the people of Haiti.