Editor’s note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal’s Summer 2021 Issue.
My wife, Claire, and I are digital nomads traveling the Pan-American Highway in our Ram 3500 with XPCamper. We are keen runners and no strangers to endurance sports, with six Ironman World Championship qualifications between us. Claire is a family physician, and I am an endurance sports coach. No matter where we are, after morning coffee and tea, our running shoes are laced, beginning an everyday routine that racks up between 60 and 90 kilometers weekly.
Running takes us to places other travelers simply don’t go—a trail here, a path there—to villages, towns, and dwellings usually overlooked. This brings a smorgasbord of cultural interaction with people, idiosyncratic to our random running routes. Waves and shouts of encouragement are common, and there are plenty of opportunities to chat. Sometimes, the folks we meet could use a little help.
We decided to start the Global Run Project to obtain donations via a GoFundMe page for people we encounter while running. Donations are for anyone who might benefit from a financial boost, whether for food, water, medicine, clothing, or a leg up. In Nicaragua, we raised $6,000 for a project, installing fresh drinking water at schools where Claire volunteered in 2019.
As we entered Colombia, it became clear that not everyone runs for fun. Some run away from issues; others toward a better life. Having heard about the Venezuelan crisis, we were still shocked to see it firsthand. When Claire took a volunteer doctor role in Cúcuta, we witnessed an immense tide of Venezuelans ebbing and flowing via the Simón Bolívar bridge—some 30,000 to 40,000 daily in search of food or medicine.
Navigating our camper into the winding Colombian Andes, we encountered Venezuelan groups streaming toward the promise of work in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. The refugees cover massive distances, usually sporting Crocs and flip-flops, traveling light, with a simple rucksack or wheeled suitcase. Maybe a blanket. Barely functioning strollers buckle under belongings. With small children on their shoulders, they pepper the main arteries through Colombia toward the Ecuador border. We meet groups of Venezuelans while running—either walking, taking a break under some trees, or maybe catching a night’s sleep on a traffic island. Currently, we distribute donations of around $13 (50,000 Columbian pesos) to couples we meet, with bigger groups receiving more.
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The relief is palpable. People are incredibly grateful. One larger family group burst into tears, saddened by the extent of their predicament, yet joyfully overwhelmed by the kindness of strangers.
Each donation is photographed, the specific recipient tagged in a post on Instagram and Facebook. It’s a tangible, personal link between the kindness of those donating and the grateful faces of those they help. The Global Run Project GoFundMe page has reached over $3,000 for Venezuelan refugees, and 100% of all donated funds are distributed to those in need.
Get Involved
To donate or review the gallery, visit https://thisbigroadtrip.com/global-run-project.
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