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The 100-day run of
Joy
Rojas across the United States of America officially starts on
May 11 (U.S. time).The journey from California to New York-over 5,000 kilometers of foreign terrain, crossing boundaries of 12 states and switching within four different time zones-is propelled by a strong belief in the Filipinos spirit, for how can one expect to fulfill an such amazing feat otherwise?
Rojas's Takbong Pangarap (Dream Run) will officially begin in Eagle Rock, Los Angeles on the day of her 44th birthday. She will reach her goal on September 8, 2009 at the Philippine Consulate in Manhattan. Rojas will run 50 kilometers per day for four months, together with trainer Mateo Macabe and manager Chuck Crisanto, in an attempt to be the first Southeast Asian woman to run across American soil.
Yet the title is just one part of it.
A survivor of tuberculosis, Rojas's is also running for her beneficiaries: the Anti-Tuberculosis Program of the Inner Wheel Club of Quezon City District 738 and the Social Services Division of the Philippine Heart Center.
A look back
The Philippine Online Chronicles launched the Takbong Pangarap channel, a section dedicated to publishing news and updates regarding Rojas's project, during the early days of April. In a little over a month since the inception of the channel, Rojas is already taking her first sprint towards fulfilling her dream run.
Rojas had a meet-and-greet with bloggers last April 18 at Powerbooks in SM Megamall, where she revealed the motivations behind her decision to run across the U.S. She inspired the participants with her determination in taking on an ambitious task, and answered the queries of the attendees brimming with curiosity regarding Takbong Pangarap. A few days later, Rojas flew to the U.S.
On April 23, merely two days after Rojas's plane touched down in Los Angeles, the Takbong Pangarap team was visited by Los Angeles Consul General Aragon and Vice Consul Sharmain.
Rojas signed a deal with Balikbayan Magazine/Asian Journal on April 28 as the project's print media sponsor. Also present during the event was Asian Journal publisher and CEO Roger Oriel.
From Los Angeles, Rojas will run through Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New Jersey towards New York City.
Photo from the Takbong Pangarap Team. Used with permission.
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Joy Rojas is the first Filipina to have run across the Philippines. A freelance writer and magazine editor who overcame tuberculosis in 2001, she will become the first Southeast Asian woman to have run across the United States once she completes Takbong Pangarap.
Mateo Macabe is a noted athlete in the local running circuit and Joy's trainer and running partner, having run across the Philippines with her in 2005. He will be her pacer and navigator during Takbong Pangarap.
Chuck Crisanto is the team manager of Takbong Pangarap. A long distance event record holder for the Ateneo, he has served in various professional capacities under four Philippine presidents.
