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Pinoy Abroad

Cesar Guarin helps street kids as he runs around the world


Filipino ultra-marathoner and entrepreneur Cesar Guarin is helping raise funds for street children as he embarks on the Australia leg of his run around the world. Guarin, president and general manager of CEJOGUA Sports Corporation (CSC), is set to become the first Filipino, first Asian, and fourth person in history to run around the world. The popular line of sports wear "iSports BOTAK, " is the premiere trademark of CSC. An alumnus of the University of the Philippines, Guarin will fly to Sydney, Australia on October 15, Saturday, for the fifth leg of his 23,000-kilometer (km) "Global Run" project. Toughest run ever The Global Run is considered as the world's toughest run ever. Tha one-of-a-kind marathon began in 1983 and will end in 2016. Guarin has run 11,583 kilometers in the four legs of his ultra marathon, which he embarked on after an injury disqualified him joining the Olympics. He has already finished the first four legs of his Global Run:

  • Trans Pilipinas in 1983;
  • Trans USA in 1985;
  • Trans Europe in 1992; and
  • US-Canada in 2009. Guarin will run 2,053 kms in the Trans Australia marathon, the fifth leg of his Global Run. For the first time, Guarin is dedicating his run help raise funds for street children. After completing the Trans Australia leg, he will run across:
  • the Middle East (2012);
  • England-Norway (2012);
  • Finland-Moscow (2013);
  • Egypt-Israel-Jordan (2013);
  • Japan-Korea (2014);
  • India-Myanmar (2014); and
  • Thailand-Singapore (2015). According to the Global Run website, Guarin trains by running eight hours a day for at least one to three months. Tackling Australia's roads Guarin and his team will be in Australia for 44 days, 37 of which to be spent on the road. The running enthusiast will begin running in Melbourne on Oct. 23 and expects to close the marathon in Brisbane on Dec. 3. However, Guarin will use six to seven rest days to meet with the Filipino community and the government in Australia. “We want to appreciate the global Filipino community for helping the country. That’s my inspiration—to tell them ‘Thank you.’ And also to thank the host country for giving them jobs," he said. Guarin added that they hope Filipinos will run with them in the first and last few kilometers of the race. He also shared his hopes to visit the Australian Embassy, adding that Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. has endorsed them to the Foreign Affairs department. Running for a cause Guarin told GMA News that his previous runs were more of a personal project. ““This is the start, to make it a fund-raising [project] to reduce the number of children on the streets," he said. Guarin said they have tied up with organizations helping street children by offering sports development programs. “’Yun kasi ‘yung core competency namin. Ako, I’m a runner. My passion is running," he said. He hopes not only to get children off the streets but to inspire them to aim for a better life. “I think it will be a good way to help less fortunate children, if we get them interested na mangarap. Karamihan kasi wala nang pangarap, [gusto lang] mag-survive," he said. “We want to [build their] interest in life, to aspire." The Global Run site said a fundraising will be dedicated to street children because "the plight of children in modern-day Philippines is extremely alarming." "An estimated number of 12.8 million children under the age of 15 are living in poverty, an increase of one million over a three-year period. Many children find themselves living on the streets, with no parents to guide them or provide for them," the site said. The Global Run's “Batang Pangarap" sports development program hopes to instill in chilren the value of discipline, excellence, and passion. - GMA News
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