Monday, May 9th, 2011
Daraja Race for 77 runners and cheerleaders: We are approaching May 15th so please be sure you know everything there is to know about the big day! We have all the race day details below.
Updates:
- To ensure that the Daraja team begins together, we encourage everyone to meet at 7:45am at the Bow & Arrow on the Embarcadero. We will then head to Spear and Folsom.
- Please note that the Daraja team’s post-race meeting spot has been changed to the Dutch Windmill at 1691 John F. Kennedy Drive (see below).
Starting Point:
8:15AM – 8:30AM START TIME (approximate):
CORRAL G
Enter at Spear and Folsom Download Starting Point Map
How will I get to the Race?
Check out our Transportation page for transport options available.
Finding the Daraja Team:
Look out for a big bundle of black, red and blue balloons. You should see a huge group of people wearing the Daraja T-shirts. We encourage all Daraja Race for 77 members to wear the Daraja T-shirt OR wear a plain black shirt. Junior Mercy shows of her Daraja shirt in the picture on the left.
The Course:
The historic Zazzle Bay to Breakers is a USA Track and Field Certified 12k (7.46 miles):
From sea level at the Embarcadero the course rises steeply along the Hayes Street Hill. Around the 2.5-mile mark runners climb an 11.15% grade between Fillmore Street and Steiner Street. The remainder of the course gradually flows downhill alongside the Panhandle through Golden Park to the Finish Line at the Great Highway. Point-to-point, mostly flat with a steep hill – the famous Hayes St. Hill summit at the 2.5 mile mark; gradual downhill through beautiful Golden Gate Park. Download Course Map
Do I have to stay with the Daraja Team during the race?
No! If you prefer to walk or run the whole thing, it is up to you. You choose the pace.
Rules of the Race:
- Alcohol is prohibited and will be removed from the race course. Anyone publicly drinking or displaying public drunkenness on or along the racecourse will be subject to fines and prosecution.
- Walkers and slower traffic stay to the RIGHT. Runners to the LEFT.
- No headphones
- No wheeled objects of any type, such as baby joggers, strollers, grocery carts, pets, roller blades, skateboards, or bicycles, are allowed on the course.
Finish Line:
The course closes at 11:30am at the intersection of JFK Drive and Chain of Lakes drive in Golden Gate Park. Registrants who have not passed this intersection by 11:30am, will not have the opportunity to cross the Finish Line in time to collect a Finisher’s Medal. The Daraja team’s post-race meeting spot has been changed to the Dutch Windmill at 1691 John F. Kennedy Drive. (You will see the windmill while you are on the course.) Look out for a Daraja Academy banner and the red, black and blue balloons. Here, we will give out water, snacks and Jason and Jenni will give out awards! Since there are 55,000 people participating in this race, this is going to be a very casual and short meeting spot.
Post-Race BBQ:
Since it may be a bit difficult for all racers to reconvene at the windmill, Daraja Race for 77 participants have been invited to the home of board members Kevin and Lisa Rodondi for a Race for 77 closing BBQ in Marin at 4:30pm for a proper closing to this fantastic adventure!
All finishers’ names in the Examiner
For more than 20 years The Examiner newspaper has printed the top 10,000 race finishers’ names and finishing times in the post-race souvenir edition of the newspaper. This year to commemorate the 100th race, The Examiner will print ALL registered finishers’ names and times.
Got More Questions? We Got Answers! Email Racefor77@daraja-academy.org.
Thursday, April 28th, 2011
LINETH
CATHERINE
Lineth Chepkurui, a two-time Bay to Breakers champion, has agreed to be part of the Daraja Race for 77! Lineth will be partnered with 11th grader Catherine Epur, a 17 year old student from a destitute rural town who has excelled in academics and sports since receiving her four-year high school scholarship two years ago. The two are exchanging communications in order to learn more about one another’s goals, passions and interests.
“I’m so happy to have the great opportunity to run races like this as a professional athlete. So, I am very pleased to be able to run today to help Daraja give Kenyan girls great opportunities, too,” said Lineth.
Lineth will run the 7.4 miles in order to bring awareness to the importance of Kenyan girls’ education. Lineth is from the Kispsigis tribe and Catherine is from the Turkana tribe both in Kenya.
“After the tribal election violence in 2008, sport was used as a way to bring people together,” explains co-founder Jenni Doherty. “Lineth and Catherine have a connection through sport, and we hope that by running in this joint race our Bay Area supporters feel further connected with the girls of Daraja.”
We are thrilled to have world renowned runner and proud Kenyan Lineth Chepkurui as part of the Daraja 77!
Monday, April 25th, 2011
On May 15th, Mary P will be participating in the Daraja Race for 77 with her partner Sue August who lives in San Diego. Both of them participating because of their belief in girls’ education. Mary P wrote a mini-autobiography of her life and it reveals the driving force behind the determination of this particular student…
Mary P: In her words…
I am from a family of seven. I have three sisters and two brothers who love me very much. I am the first born in my family. My family is from a Maasai and Kikuyu tribe. My mother is a pure Maasai lady and my father is pure Kikuyu gentleman. My family is gorgeous, fabulous and amazing.
I was brought up in a place called M’aKunan in Dol-Dol district. I went to a nursery school called Kiwanja ndege, near our home. My parents are pastoralists so they kept on migrating from one place to another. Being at a nursery school was hard for me because I could not concentrate on studies. My parents would not allow me to go to school some days. Each time they migrated, I had to change my school and join another one.
Due to drought and other calamities, my parents moved from Dol-Dol to a place called Kimugandura, just a few minutes from Daraja. At Kimugandura, I went to a primary called Olgirgiri. Even though I did not fully understand the purpose of being in school, I had ambition towards it. I started my primary school with hope and hard work. My parents were not educated so they preferred removing me from school to help them do household chores. When I heard them saying that, I didn’t say anything, but stuck to my guns.
When I was in class six, things became harder and harder. My parents were not allowing me to go to school regularly. They would advise me to stay one week and go the next week. If I tried to oppose what they were planning, I could see fire at that time. I was ten years old, and all those experiences I had gone through since I was young inundated my mind. I knew what was right and wrong. My performance at school was very poor. I kept on trying, but I blamed my parents who were trying to remove me from school.
One day I just sat down and thoughts started flowing in my mind. I asked myself many questions that only God could answer. I thought to join a boarding school to minimize all problems that were facing me. I knew nobody would listen to me, but I believed God was my fortress. I decided to tell my mother who was my only hope. She was very glad to hear my suggestion, but she couldn’t afford to take me to a boarding school. She knew a boarding school at Dol-Dol that was controlled and managed by missionaries. My mother took me to that boarding school and asked if I would be allowed to join the boarding without any fee. Fortunately I was permitted to join that boarding school only if I could improve my performance at school. That was easy for me since I loved working hard and I had determination towards my education.
After some months, my performance improved and my teachers were astonished. They all saw my previous school results, which were very poor. I continued my primary school at Dol-Dol. I was competing with boys who were very good at reading. I kept on improving my marks and they were not happy about me. They hated me, but I knew my path was about expressing, exploring, and pursuing, and nobody could shake me.
When I joined class 8, my life was very hard and full of stress all the time. I knew all my classmates would join secondary school except me. I was thinking about it all the time. It disturbed me so much until one day I decided to tell my head teacher who had already started smelling a rat about me. He gave me a lot of encouragement to work hard because there was a girls’ secondary school that is starting at Kimugandura and it was Daraja.
When I heard Daraja would only admit those with 300 marks, it seemed very easy to me since I could score about those marks. I believed in putting my effort on my studies, many girls also heard the good news and they were working hard to join Daraja. We did a national exam. After getting the result, they were…WOW! Those marks determined who I was. I was the first girl with the highest marks at Dol-Dol. All the teachers were very happy about my marks. They knew getting 339 marks was hard work.
Achieving all those marks did not satisfy me since I was not sure if I was joining Daraja School. I knew nobody at Daraja to call through phone. I went back to my head teacher to narrate all my problems to him. He didn’t say anything since I was a hero at his school. He wrote a letter and took me to the administrators at Daraja. When Mr. D read my letter, a lot of happiness showed on his face especially after seeing my marks. I had performed with flying colors. He accepted me to his school where I am now.
I felt like my future had been brightened. I was very happy to join a wonderful school of great and amazing people. Daraja, you are my true love forever! I will make Daraja famous.
Wednesday, April 20th, 2011
Folks, this is a Daraja first. As we began brainstorming ways to fundraise in the Bay Area, we thought “Why not get the girls involved?” Our girls always hear about the fundraising that happens overseas, but this time we wanted them to feel like they can contribute to their school. That’s how the Lap-A-Thon came about, and the girls have heard all about it. They will be running/walking 28 laps, the same distance as the Bay to Breakers race, on the exact same day that our 77 advocates will be running the San Francisco Bay to Breakers marathon. Now, we need you to help them fundraise. How?
The girls are getting updates on the race and listen to what 9th grader Teddy has to say about it! What you are doing is a lot more than just financial support:
Saturday, April 16th, 2011
77 Advocates. 77 Students. One Family.
Join Us.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA We are absolutely thrilled to announce that the Daraja Family is doing something very new this year! On May 15th, we will participate in the the 100th anniversary of Bay to Breakers, the annual 7.5 mile footrace in San Francisco. 77 Daraja family members will represent the 77 students currently enrolled at Daraja Academy during the race. Each of us will be matched with a specific Daraja girl, and will receive her biography and photo. As her representative, you will advocate and fundraise for her. On the day of the event, will be running with the students. How will we be running with our Daraja partners? Read on…
NANYUKI, KENYA On the exact same day, the Daraja girls will be participating in a Daraja Academy verison of Bay to Breakers called the Lap-A-Thon! They will be running the same distance around their community. The girls will learn about their advocates running and fundraising for them in the Bay Area. Students will have the ability to raise money during their laps as well. How? We are looking to have Daraja family members who can’t participate in the race to sponsor a student per lap. Your donation per lap will empower the students to know that they can contribute to their own education.
Friday, April 8th, 2011
Girls of Daraja will be screening with TRUST: Second Acts in Young People’s Lives this weekend at the incredible SF International Women’s Film Festival. Both films highlight teenagers from difficult situations empowering themselves to a better life. Join us as we celebrate these inspiring girls from various parts of the world.
Saturday, April 9th 3pm
Roxie Theater in San Francisco
