What would be the human thing to do?

Good evening fellow humans!
It's late Wednesday evening in New York City, and on Friday morning we're leaving for the Blue Planet Run. I would like to take a moment to reflect on the mission, the higher purpose of what we're doing. I am talking about the big picture. Actually the biggest picture... the cause is higher than running, higher than traveling through 16 countries, and even higher than water. It is about humanity, about the very basic of what is good in us, about connecting to the very threads of humanity that runs though all of us, every single person of the human race. It is the thread of reaching out and offering one's self to another. We all have it in us. The last time you saw a little child fall down, what was your immediate reaction? Most people would go and see if the child needs any help, if everything is okay. We all have the same tendency when we see others suffer. It is at the very core of being human. Virtues such as compassion, respect, and empathy are innate. They are in all of us. Yes, some of us progressively lose them. In our society so focused on individualism and self-promotion, we are conditioned to replace these innate qualities with competitiveness and apathy. Yet in doing so, we go against the very nature of being human.

I myself have been going against the very nature of being human - I've been privileged, and I've been ignorant.

I've been privileged by growing up in the Czech Republic, and then living in the United States. I always had safe water to drink, nourishing food to eat, honorable people to love, and noble dreams to dream. And, what have I done with all of this? I tried to get more water, more food, more love, and more dreams...FOR ME. I've been ignorant.

I've been ignorant because I denied my very nature; I neglected the virtues that have been passed on to me from our previous generations. What would be the human thing to do? I'm sure you know the answer. Often people state that they got where they are through hard work, and therefore they don't owe anyone anything. I would be the first one to admit that I used to engage in similar kind of thinking. Yet, when you really think about it, it really doesn't make any sense. The humankind has done so much work before I came along which pretty much makes any action of mine impossible without depending on the actions of my predecessors. We are all connected. We are all connected through our humanity. What difference does it make where one was born? Nairobi, Prague, Bombay, Chicago, Rio... Just because I was born in Prague or Chicago, does it mean that my work should be rewarded ten times as much? Those working so hard in Nairobi, Bombay, or Rio--shouldn't they be rewarded equally? I would hope so. The reality of our world is not in line with these ethics. Yet. For now, however, maybe I can do whatever I can to be more human. I can be more compassionate, respectful, and empathic.

From now on I pledge that I will be more human. I will look at humanity as a collective in which I am contributing to the well being of others. I am one with others. If you want to join my pledge, please write a comment under this posting. Water is life, and life is good in New York City.

Quick check-in from Lake Placid

Hello everyone!
Yes, I've made it safely to the Blue Planet Run training camp in Lake Placid, NY, and we all have been very busy since our Saturday arrival. We're preparing for the run of a life time, and there is a lot to do. I have only a few minutes in our packed schedule, so I'll just tell you a quick list of what we've been doing: emergency procedures plans, logistics of the run (including a 4 hour night test run of the Run itself, including exchange points, GPS navigation, night running, radio communication, etc.), uniform testing and then re-packing, medical information/procedures, delivering the message, still photo shots as well as video interviews for the website, technology training, ... yeah, there is a lot to do.
It's been great to see all the wonderful runners again; we truly are an amazing group of people. I've also been enjoying meeting all the people from the Blue Planet Run Foundation, Ignition (the firm that actually puts on the event), Kaplow (the PR firm). They are all very amazing individuals, and it's just breathtaking to see us all committed to the same cause. As most of you know, not many things get me off balance or can catch me off guard, but honestly, the dedication and commitment that all these people have (both the runners and the staff) just humbles me. I just keep thinking, how in the world did I get on this? The more I think about it, the more clear the answer becomes. Someone or something, being it a coincidence or fate, has put me here. It is now my purpose to do everything in my powers to fulfill this mission. I'm little tired from all the training and preparing, but it's all good because I remember that water is life, and life is good in Lake Placid.

It's finally here!!! -leaving for BPR in the morning!

Can you believe it? The time has finally come... in the morning (Saturday), I am flying to Albany, NY and then after a two-hour car ride will arrive at Lake Placid Olympic Training Center to join my teammates - the other 19 Blue Planet Runners! Wow. It seemed that it would never come... especially the last few days. It was so hectic. Right now I am sitting in a new apartment, full of boxes. It looks like a warehouse here. I spent the last two days moving all my belongings across campus. Since I'll be working in a new building in the fall, I had to move before the trip. With all the preparations for the Run, as well as working on prepping materials for the person who will cover the building in my absence, I got quite exhausted. Running around the world now seems the easiest. Hmmm, we'll see about that.

Looking back at the last few months... it was quite an adventure just to get where I am... the eve before the start. Here is a quick list:

October: found out about Blue Planet Run
November: applied for BPR
December: Had first phone interview
January: found out I made it to the second round
February: Had second interview (over skype)
February: submitted a resume, letter of recommendation, and sample blog entry
March: Found out I was one of the runners
March: Filled out extensive personal questionnaire
April: Found out I could stay in the same job, although missing about 1.5months of work (thank you so much for working with me!)
April: got 4 shots
April: Went to London for the official BPR route and team announcement, and met all the other amazing team members
April: started my first ever blog
May:
-applied for visa from Belarus, Russia, Mongolia, China, and Canada
-got another shot
-went to the dentist
-bought 3 pairs of running shoes
-moved to a new apartment
-Got a "world runner" haircut

In 12 hours, I'll be waiting on the Cincinnati airport for my flight... While at Lake Placid, we'll have training on media relations, emergency procedures, and the logistics of the Run. I'm sure there will be other items on the agenda I'm not aware of yet. And then, on Friday June 1st, the Blue Planet Run begins!!! We'll begin changing the world. We'll begin an odyssey of hope. We'll begin a movement that will help everyone realize that life without water is not. Water is life, and life is good in Oxford.

Blue Planet Run route visually - courtesy of my creativity

New Shoes Are In - all 3 pairs!

The shoes arrived today!! All 3 pairs. I ordered them last week on the Internet, and they are here. They look good, they smell good, and they better be ready for the world. Including the ones I am using right now, I have 4 pairs of running shoes. Whoa-a little extreme. Actually, if I count my trail running shoes, I have 5 pairs!! Yep, we might be overdoing it a little, but isn't it what life is all about? Let's live outloud, let's live the dream, let's stop complaining and start a revolution. Let's run around the Blue Planet so that people can have safe drinking water. You can see I am getting little carried away :-)
Today was my last day of official shopping. I got 11 pairs of running socks, sun glasses, and running tights. All I have left to buy is 2 AA batteries, ice pack, and gloves (realizing after talking to my sister Tereza yesterday that it might get a little cold running at 2am in the Gobi desert in Mongolia). And you know what I am doing after I finish this entry? That's right, I am packing! Good times--I don't think I've ever packed 5 days before departure day. I've to devote the next 2 days to work, preparing for when I get back in September, and Thursday and Friday will be moving time. I'll be working in a different residence hall in the fall, so I need to move to the apartment in that building. I'm excited. Every end means that there is a new beginning.
I really appreciate the responses I've been getting from people about my blog. It's very encouraging to see how much people care. Life is good in Oxford... and water is life.

Spider Man OUT; Water IN!

Hello my friends!
In one week, I will be at Lake Placid Olympic Training Center... the last stage of preparation for the Blue Planet Run. Wow, it's almost here. Just thinking about it makes my eyes teary. Tonight I went to watch Spider Man 3 with two of my friends (I'm not really into spider man, but went to spend time with friends before I leave). However, I couldn't just sit there. Half way through the movie I just walked out. I had too much to think about and the content of the movie was too, well, simplistic and unsubstantial. I'm not judging it; there is a time and place for everything; tonight I had bigger things to ponder over. I am about to embark on the biggest adventure of my life, one that will certainly change my life and lives of many others... So I drove to a nearby coffee shop and just thought about the upcoming days. Don't worry, I came back and picked up my friends (sorry Christina and Carrie).

Over the last several weeks I've been sending news about the Run to all the listserves possible. The last group of people took me the longest to e-mail--my friends. You know how it is sometimes--the most important thing sometimes takes the longest to do. With this last mailing, I'm done with mass e-mailing. Also, today I had an interview with Oxford Press. It should be in the Friday's (5/25) issue.

To those of you who are reading my blog for the first time--WELCOME! I hope you come back often. We are about to embark on an adventure of a lifetime. Please come along. Water is life, and we're running for hope!

"If we can't win this one, I don't know what we can win" -Jin Zidell (BPR founder) on the global water crisis

Below is a nice article from chron.com that succinctly explains how it all got started. Hats off to Jin (on right in picture with me) for his vision, and his tenacity to make his vision reality...
The original version is on: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/outdoors/4811410.html
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On course toward clean water
Worldwide event slakes man's thirst to lend others hand
By ROBERTA MACINNIS
Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle

A big 6 a.m. thunderstorm the last Saturday in March washed out a lot of people's regular long runs. It was still raining steadily later that morning when a lone runner passed in front of RMS Auto Care on Westheimer at Woodway as he made his way east along the sidewalk toward downtown.

You wouldn't have given the guy a second glance unless you were looking for him. But he was on a mission. As one runner in a 36-hour, 240-mile relay around the Houston area, he was participating in a dress rehearsal of sorts for the 2007 Blue Planet Run, a round-the-world relay to raise awareness about the global need for safe drinking water.

The event, set for June 1-Sept. 4, was created by Jin Zidell, a California industrialist and philanthropist. In 2002, he established the Blue Planet Run Foundation, a nonprofit organization devoted not only to raising awareness about the problem but also funding clean-water projects in developing countries.
About 1.1 billion people — one-sixth of the world's population — don't have daily access to clean water, and more than 2 million people, mostly children, die annually from water-borne diseases, according to the foundation's Web site.

"How are you going to reach literally tens of millions of people at one time? A run provides a platform to raise awareness," Zidell said.

Zidell, 69, remembers the moment inspiration hit him: 11 a.m. Dec. 17, 2001. He was walking around a lake when he saw a woman running.

"She had the power of a panther and the grace of a gazelle, and she wasn't sitting around thinking of something to do. Just then, I saw the world run," he said.

"Running is the first way we communicated across distances. It's a basic mode of human locomotion. A relay is the reaching out, the passing off, the lifting up, the reaching down."

Zidell got to work enlisting support. Dow Chemical Co. signed on as the primary sponsor. Zidell hired the Atlanta-based firm that stages the Olympic torch relays to handle logistics, which have taken years to organize.

The Houston relay was one of two test runs to make sure the plans would work.

Sixteen Dow employees started at the company's Freeport facility and ran around the clock and the city before ending at a Dow plant in Clear Lake.

"Living here in the United States, I take it for granted that I have access to safe, clean drinking water. I didn't realize how extensive the problem was," said Tom Young, a Dow Chemical employee who lives in Lake Jackson and participated in the Houston relay. Young said he briefly considered applying for the global run, but with two small children, he decided against it.

The 20-person Blue Planet Run team includes 12 men and eight women, ages 23 to 60, representing 13 countries. They were selected from hundreds of applications. The criteria were the ability to run a steady nine-minutes-per-mile pace and to spend more than three months away from home. A commitment to the cause and effective communication skills also were considered.

"They're really messengers. We wanted them to represent 'us,' the global 'we,' " Zidell said.

The runners will be divided into five teams, with each runner averaging 10 miles a day. They will blog about their experiences on the run's Web site — www.blueplanetrun.org — and will be accompanied by a photographer and video crew.
Aside from three days in July, Zidell will travel the entire way with the group, which will pass through such major cities as Boston, London, Moscow, Beijing and Tokyo.

"Running is just one part," Zidell said. "You meet 49 people (the size of the team and crew). You live with them 100 days, in a different bed every night, with every meal in different place. It's a real reality show," Zidell said.

Zidell envisions the Blue Planet Run as a biennial relay, the "third global athletic event" alongside the Olympics and the World Cup.

It's part of his plan to provide safe drinking water to 200 million people for the rest of their lives by 2027; the foundation has bankrolled 130 projects so far.

The problem is big, he pointed out, but one that can be solved cheaply with simple technologies such as rainwater harvesting. A $30 donation, for example, will pay for drinking water for one person for life.

"If we can't win this one, I don't know what we can win," Zidell said.

Taking care of business

Good evening, people of good will!
About half an hour ago I got back from my midnight run. I ran about 7 miles, and it was quite serene. For the first time in a few weeks I ran in a long sleeve shirt, as it was a little chilly. I just ran here on campus where it was well lid; I kept thinking about our Run. Today I found out that the route in Prague will go about 300 feet away from our apartment, the one I grew up in. It will also go right through the historical heart of Prague. Amazing. I kept imagining how it's going to be when I run there. The place I grew up in. The place that shaped who I am. The place whose beauty can be matched only by few others. The painting in this post is the one my parents gave my for my Master's graduation (indeed, it is Praha).

Today was a preparation day. I spend a few hours at Target, getting some essentials for the Run. To name just a few, I got sunscreen, chapstick with sunscreen in it, cold medicine, pepto bismol, bug repellent, hand sanitizer, shower gel, baby powder, lotion, power bars, extra battery and memory for my digital camera, power adapter, first aid kit... I also got my last shot today, which would make it number 5. My left and right arms are now familiar with Tetanus, Typhoid, Hepatitis A and B. I also went to the dentist yesterday, and got my car registration renewed. I also tried to pay my car insurance, but they didn't have the bill ready yet. I do have to admit, trying to pay over a month early is not exactly my style :-). When I told them that I will be running around the world the next 3 months and need to take care of everything before I leave, they understood. Well, I am not sure if they believed me, but hey--water is life, and life is good.

A little about the logistics

Perhaps one of the most frequent questions I get is: "So how is it going to work? How much are you going to be running? And are you running across the oceans too?"
First, no, we will not be running across the oceans :-). I am sure it would be fun, but we'll stick to the land for now. Everything else, however, is all running. The 20 runners will be divided into 5 teams, each having 4 people. Every day will be divided into four 6hour segments (9am-3pm; 3pm-9pm; 9pm-3am; 3am-9am), and each team will be covering one segment. This way, each team will get every 5th day off. Thus, I will run 10 miles for 4 days, and have a day off.
Within the six hour segment, I will run for an hour an a half (10miles/16km), and then the team car will drive for ten miles at a time and stop at every exchange point for the baton exchange. While waiting for the teammates to finish their running leg, the remaining three runners will be actively engaging any visitors to the exchange points, talking about water, life, and anything the visitors want to know. Just imagine this: after running for 90 minutes in the early morning in Poland, I'll get to hang out with the locals until my colleague finishes her/his leg. And all that could be at 4am. Whoa. Can't wait.
After my team is done with our 6hour shift, we will drive to the hotel down the route. At no point will the whole village (20 runners, plus up to 30 support staff)travel more that 160miles per day (the running pace). Water is life, and life is good.

Charter bus story - enjoy :-)

Vitam vsechny Ceske pratele!

Ahoj ahoj!
Vitam vas do meho blogu o nasem behu kolem sveta, nebo oficialne Behu Modre Planety (Blue Planet Run). Bohuzel toho tady zatim moc v cestine neni, a ani tento prispevek neni s hacky a carkami. Pokusim se to v budoucnu napravit.
1. cervna 20 bezcu vyrazi z New York City a 96 dni pobezi porad na vychod. A proc se vydavame na takovouto podivnou vystrednost? Odpoved je snadna: VODA. 1.1 miliarda lidi na nasem svete nema pristup k ciste pitne vode, coz znamena ze kazdy den priblizne 6000 (ano, 6 tisic!) deti umira. Bezime abychom zvysili osvetu o tomto ohromnem problemu, a take abychom ziskali financni prostredky na zlepseni teto situace.
Bezime ve stafetovem stylu, jeden bezec pobezi 16km (cca hodinu a pul) a pak preda kolik bezci dalsimu, ve dne v noci. Od budovy OSN v New Yorku bezime do Bostonu, pak preletime do Dublinu v Irsku, a pak porad na vychod... Anglie, Francie, Belgie, Holandsko, Nemecko, pak k nam domu, Rakousko, zpet do CR, Polsko, Belorusko, Rusko, Mongolsko, Cina, a Japonsko. Po preletu do San Franciska prebehneme cele USA a zpet do New Yorku.
Teste se na bajecna dobroduzstvi!
-David

P.S. Vice informaci o behu, nadaci, a nedostatku pitne vody najdete na www.blueplanetrun.org

Excited to be on Western!

Ahoj to Western Campus!
I am really excited to be working on Western in the fall. I am looking forward to living and working in Peabody--such a beautiful building, in a beautiful environment. More importantly, however, I hope that we all can engage one another in responding to the safe drinking water crisis. Western is exactly the place where the leadership and passion for fellow humanity resides. I know we will do amazing things in the fall. You know, a journey of 15,200 miles begins with a single step, and ends in Peabody Hall :-)
Please check-in here often; I will be updating daily whenever possible. I am hoping not only to have text, but audio and video as well. Also, I welcome any comments (posts) on the blog, as well as e-mails. I'll try to respond often.
Well, Western campus, let's bring this adventure on. Over billion of people thirst for safe drinking water, and it is up to us to answer their plea.
Water is life, and life is hope.

"We are looking for David Christof, because we want to fulfil his dream that he has not even dared to dream."

When I talk about the run, one of the questions that always sooner or later comes up, is: "How did you find out about it?"
It all started with an e-mail back in late October. Since I get a lot of junk e-mails, I ALMOST DELETED IT!!! Talk about a fatal error. I am so thankful that I indeed did not deleted it. It was sitting in my in-box for a few days, before I actually read it. After I read it, I was interested, but still was somewhat suspicious. Then I clicked on the BluePlanetRun.org website, looked at it for about 5 minutes, and was hypnotized. I couldn't believe it. I was starring at the screen, unable to believe what I was reading. It was basically saying: "We are looking for David Christof, because we want to fulfil his dream that he has not even dared to dream." Well, they used different words :-) , but that was pretty much it. Wow, running around the world and saving lives at the same time!
I could not sleep that night. I knew I had to apply. I owed it to myself. I owed it to humanity. Once again, my life was about to take a quantum leap.

Now, over 6 months later, I am about 3 weeks away from starting this journey, this mission, this purpose. I found the pivotal e-mail and here it is in its entirety. This e-mail started it all.


From: "RRCA National Office"
Reply-To: office@rrca.org
To: "Oxford ADT Running Club"
Subject: Blue Planet Run Recruits Relay Team
Date: Wed, 25 Oct 2006 13:16:49 -0400

Blue Planet Run Recruits Relay Team

Atlanta,GA - October 19, 2006 ? The Blue Planet Run Foundation is searching for 20 international runners who want to become ambassadors for a global cause - the lack of safe drinking water that affects more than a billion people worldwide.

Apply to join the inaugural Blue Planet Run® - a relay event that will travel more than 12,000 miles - and help raise awareness of the affordable and achievable solutions that exist TODAY to solve this challenge.

For the 2007 Run, 20 runners will run in a relay format around the world, traveling more than 12,000 miles in less than 100 days. Produced by Atlanta-based ignition, Inc., a worldwide expert in global marketing event management, the 2007 Run will visit 16 countries, including Ireland, Great Britain, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Czech Republic, Austria,Poland, Belarus, Russia, Mongolia, China, Japan, Canada and the United States.

“The lack of access to safe drinking water is a harsh reality that faces nearly 20 percent of the world’s population,” said Jin Zidell, founder of the Blue Planet Run Foundation. “However, solutions exist that are affordable, achievable and sustainable. The 2007 Run will be a clarion call to the world to respond to this challenge, and the relay team a catalyst through which our message will be broadcast.”

This past weekend, October 13 - 15, the Blue Planet Run took thousands of steps towards success as ignition produced a 48-hour test event in South Georgia. “The test event was well planned,” said Tina Klien, a test event participant and Director of Community Outreach for the Atlanta Track Club. “I truly saw team work not only with the running teams but also with the entire crew. Everyone from support to logistics to runners rallied around this great cause.”

“It’s exciting to watch as a simple run is capturing the imagination and attention of so many people, and then focusing that attention on one of the Earth’s largest health and sustainability issues: the lack of safe drinking water, predominantly within developing countries,” explained Mark “Dill” Driscoll, chairman of ignition. “The test event brought the Run to life last weekend as 18 runners took turns pounding the pavement for 48 hours straight, providing a real-time test for the
operations and logistics planning.”

The Blue Planet Run Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to raising global awareness of the devastating effect that lack of access to safe drinking water has on the health and communities of one-fifth of the global population and of the existence of solutions to the crisis that are achievable, affordable and sustainable. Working as a catalyst and a bridge, the Foundation encourages responsibility toward the environment, and connects effective non-governmental organizations with funding. The Foundation’s signature event for its awareness and fundraising campaign is the Blue Planet Run, an around-the-world relay event. More information about the Foundation and the 2007 Run is available at http://www.blueplanetrun.org.


ignition is an experiential marketing and media resource built on a passion for bringing brands to life around the world. The agency works with its corporate partners to create strategically-focused and relevant brand messages that are delivered in a multi-sensory context to engage, educate and entertain the consumer. After more than a decade of producing some of the most memorable mobile marketing tours, ignition recently was honored to organize and manage two simultaneous tours: the 2006 Olympic Torch Relay and the FIFA World Cup™ Trophy Tour. For more information, please visit: http://www.ignition-inc.com.

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The Road Runners Club of America is a non-profit organization of over 700 running clubs and 175,000 members across the United States. The RRCA chapters organize races, have training runs, provide safety guidelines, promote children's and masters fitness running programs, and have social programs. http://www.RRCA.org

Welcome clip

Greetings, Wellsians!

Hello Wellsians!
Good to see that you take leadership of your own life. Following my e-mail, you decided to see my blog. I appreciate it. Don't worry; you don't have to donate anything. Sometime education is the biggest force one can acquire. I hope that by following my blog you will learn something about how precious water is. To tell you the truth, before I applied for this journey, I also didn't know how serious the issue was. Yet, it's never too late to start. It's never too late to decide to do something. What else is there to be done? Educate yourself more. Find out more about the water crisis. Water is the fundamental ingredient of life. Have you ever thought how long you can go without water, how very basic it is? This summer I will spend every day (with every 5th day off) running 10 miles, day after day, until we circle the globe. I will talk to thousands of people along the way, talking about water, life in general, and just connecting as human beings. I invite you to come along. It's going to be a ride of a lifetime, and you can be part of it. Feel free to e-mail me along the way, or leave replies on this blog. I'll try to reply. When I get back on September 4th, we can talk more in person about all the adventures. And maybe we can organize something on campus to educate others about water. I am looking forward to sharing the adventures with you. Water is life.
-David

(P.S. This post was to the residents of Wells Hall at Miami University, where I was a hall director this 2006-07 school year; but of course, is open to any viewer of my blog)

Thank you for all your support

Dear colleagues,
I would like to thank you for all the support you've been giving me about my run around the world (16 countries, 15,200 miles, millions of lives saved). I appreciate all the encouragement you've provided in my application process, as well as the enthusiasm after I found out that I was selected. I am glad I can represent Miami University, the Czech Republic, and the U.S. on this epic journey. Even more, I am truly honored that I can make a difference in this alarming crisis; the main goal of the Blue Planet Run is to raise awareness and funding for the lack of access to drinking water. It is really a crisis of colossal proportions. Just consider the facts above.
If you want to find out more about the run and the cause, please visit the official website at www.blueplanetrun.org . I will also be updating this blog almost daily (eventually it will be hosted on the main BPR website). I just started, so not that much is here, but soon the adventures will unfold.
Once again, I sincerely appreciate all your support. I am not leaving for the world until around May 25th, so feel free to talk to me about water till then.
-David

P.S. I thought you would appreciate this picture of me when I was about 7. It is with "Kocka," my good old friend.