Martin Parnell - The Secret Marathon: Empowering Women and Girls in Afghanistan Through Sport

Other books by Martin Parnell

Marathon Quest

Running to the Edge

Copyright 2018 by Martin Parnell

First Edition

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Cataloguing data available from Library and Archives Canada

ISBN 9781771602990 (paperback)

ISBN 9781771603003 (electronic)

All photographs are by the author unless otherwise noted.

Cover photo courtesy of James Bingham

Distributed in Canada by Heritage Group Distribution and in the U.S. by Publishers Group West

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To strong and fearless women and girls, everywhere.

When the whole world is silent even one voice becomes powerful.

MALALA YOUSAFZAI,

Pakistani activist and Nobel Prize winner

Knowing what must be done does away with fear.

ROSA PARKS,

African-American civil rights activist

We all look for courage in our own lives. We look for examples of it wherever we can find them because we think if we can learn from other peoples courage that will help us have courage in ourselves.

DEBORAH ELLIS,

Canadian activist and author of The Breadwinner

CONTENTS

PREFACE

You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.

MAYA ANGELOU,

American poet, singer, memoirist, and civil rights activist

The room is quiet and there is just a faint light coming through from the nurses station outside my room. Im not sure what day it is. Im not sure if I can get out of bed and make it the few feet to the washroom. Im not even sure if Ill make it through today.

The massive blood clot that has taken up residence in my brain is preventing me from doing so many things.

I cannot see properly, due to the pressure on my optic nerve. I cannot feed myself and my speech is incoherent, so I cant even communicate clearly.

Im not sure Ill ever be able to do these things again at the level I did before.

The only thing Im sure of is that Sue is here, sitting nearby, and I know shes watching me even as she keeps an eye on the machine that is monitoring my heart rate, blood pressure, respiration and body temperature, praying that it stays silent, not wanting to hear it loudly beeping, causing a sudden flurry of activity as staff in scrubs use their expertise to stabilize me again.

I am no longer in an induced coma and, as I lay in my bed at the Health Sciences Centre, in Winnipeg, I have plenty of time to think.

I think about my family. I have a loving wife, three wonderful children and three amazing grandchildren.

Im not complaining. Ive had a good life and no regrets.

Ive had adventures, travelling the world from Brisbane to the Black Forest, Cuba to Cairo, Tanzania to Tokyo and beyond.

I have set myself challenges and overcome them, completing 250 marathons in one year, climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro in 21 hours, cycling from Cairo to Cape Town and setting Guinness World Records to raise funds for children in need.

Who is to say I wont overcome this, my greatest challenge yet?

Like my approach to everything, I will take it one (faltering) step at a time and see where it leads me.

That was February 2015. Little did I know that having a clot on the brain would lead me to my greatest adventure yet, The Secret Marathon in Afghanistan.

ONE

FROM DARKNESS TO LIGHT

The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity.

AMELIA EARHART,

American aviation pioneer and author

My recovery from the blood clot on my brain, diagnosed in February 2015, was a long and arduous process. It was difficult to get back on track. I knew I was getting there, though, when, with the help of hiking poles, I completed a 5K walk, during the Calgary Marathon weekend in May. By the summer I had begun to think about running again. It was in October that my wife Sue showed me an article from The Guardian featuring a brave woman named Zainab Hussaini who had become the first Afghan woman to run a marathon, in the first Marathon of Afghanistan. In the article, Zainab, supported by the non-governmental organization (NGO) Free to Run, talked about the issues she faced during her training. The children were stoning us, the people said bad words like prostitutes, why dont you stay at home? You are destroying Islam. She ended up completing her training by running around and around inside her walled garden.

After reading the article, I made a vow. If I could recover in time, I would go to Afghanistan and run the 2016 Marathon of Afghanistan, in support of Zainabs efforts to advocate for womens and girls freedom and right to run.

FREE TO RUN: MISSION

Free to Runs mission is to use running, physical fitness and outdoor adventure to empower and educate women and girls who have been affected by conflict. The organization supports those living within conflict areas and those who have been forced to flee and live as refugees outside their home countries.

The ability to participate in physical fitness and outdoor adventure activities is part in parcel of important human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the right to health and freedom of movement. Unfortunately, in many areas of the world, there are few opportunities to participate in sports. Women and girls are especially restricted in these areas because of widespread discrimination and traditional beliefs about female roles. In countries like Afghanistan, harmful cultural and gender norms significantly limit the ability of women and girls to engage in activities outside their homes. Particularly in areas affected by conflict, sports opportunities are extremely limited or even nonexistent due to a lack of resources and insecurity.