Friday, August 17, 2007
A team of runners in an around-the-world relay promoting safe drinking water will pass its baton in Lawrence on Saturday. The team, a part of the Blue Planet Run relay, will make its exchange at 9 a.m. at the Wells Overlook County Park entrance.
The relay run will pass through Lawrence on its way to Kansas City. The 95-day run began in New York City on June 1. From there it went across the ocean to Europe, then to Russia, Mongolia, China, Japan and back to California. The run will end in New York City on Sept. 4 after making its way through the United States.
The Blue Planet Run is an international relay to raise money for the millions of people around the world who don’t have access to safe drinking water. Twenty athletes are participating in the event, and each runs 10 miles a day.
Mary Chervenak, 39, began running recreationally when she was in college. She said she decided to join the Blue Planet Run because of the challenge it presented. One of the highlights of the run was in the Gobi Desert in Mongolia, she said.
“My shift started at 3:00 a.m. It was freezing cold and I was running knee deep in the sand,” Chervenak said. “Then the sun came up and the desert was probably a million different colors and I thought ‘Wow, who does this? Who gets to run in the desert and see this?’”
Chervenak visited countries with water problems as she trekked around the world.
She said when she was in Ireland there was a water war and farmers were diverting water because of the shortage.
Chervenak said she also stayed near Lake Baikal while she was in Russia. Although it’s the largest freshwater lake in the world, Chervenak said it wasn’t accessible to the people because the infrastructures beneath had crumbled.
“In Mongolia we had seen people walking miles to get water,” Chervenak said.
The Dow Chemical Co. sponsors the Blue Planet Run. Nancy Fullerton, manager of corporate citizenship for Dow, said the run gives Dow the opportunity to apply its science and technology to the world’s challenges.
“This run is about providing safe drinking water to the more than 1.1 billion people who lack access,” Fullerton said. “One hundred percent of all individual donations will go directly to safe drinking water projects around the world.
More information can be found at www.blueplanetrun.org.
— Edited by Amelia Freidline
Clean water run goes through Lawrence
Two runners in the Blue Planet Run, a three-month-long relay around the ...
‘Take Back the Night’ promotes awareness
Victims of domestic violence and sexual assault share stories and shelters provide ...
Mongolian international student writes poems to alleviate ...
Her book of poems, ‘Soliorol,’ which means ‘madness’ in Mongolian, was published ...
Unsafe water problematic for Ecuadorians
Nearly 5 million people die each year from water-related illness. Maritza Yanez, ...
Presence of algae indicates larger problems
As reservoirs age, Lawrence residents may experience water issues.
City dealing with funky water problem
Adding activated carbon to the water works, but its cost and difficulty ...
Inch-long fleas dig into the history books
Professor of Entomology publishes research over inch-long fleas.
Dirty mouth: Water may not be clean
Traces of prescription medicines and over-the-counter drugs can be found in water ...
Connect wants to revamp Potter Lake
By improving Potter Lake’s water quality and landscape, Connect hopes the lake ...
Faculty work to be made publicly available
A declaration signed by the Chancellor requires faculty work to be published ...
Wakarusa off to a festive start
Festival attendees enjoy the laid back atmosphere of the Wakarusa Music and ...
Pole-vaulting in a foreign land
Pole-vaulter Kate Sultanova didn't know she was coming to the University of ...
Professor receives award for book on blues ...
Musicology professor was awarded for her publication on the research of blues ...
SafeBus program sees increase in riders
Recent changes to the SafeBus routes cause more ridership.
Kansas Relays hopes to go down in ...
With strong match ups from the high school to the professional level, ...
University researcher heads to the Sahara
David Blackburn received a $709,000 grant to research oases in the worlds ...
Surprising stories come from campus traffic booths
Meet Susan Shaw. She counts cars from her booth at Fourteenth Street ...
Volunteers work to remove pesky plant from ...
The long process of renovating Potter Lake continued Saturday.
Kansan gives Student Senate grade report
Kansan Student Senate reporter Brenna Hawley graded the outgoing Student Senate administration ...
The end of the world as we ...
Doomsday scenarios and their probability or idiocy
Let's talk dirty
Bathing habits — and the idea of “dirty” and “clean” — vary ...
Foreign to the Fourth
International students have opportunities to celebrate more than just Fourth of July ...
Waterworld
Water covers about 70 percent of the earth’s surface. That should keep ...
Better safe than sorry
SafeRide and SafeBus provide an often-unappreciated service to students.
Graduate uses photos to save lives
Former student holds competition to raise money for wells in Africa.
A sobering struggle
College students with alcoholism fight to overcome their addiction in an alcohol-infused ...
Crocs Craze Comes to KU
No regrets for runner Denesha Morris after ...
Morris’ decision to come to Kansas from her home country allowed her ...
Editorial: Potter Lake dredging needed, but could ...
Student Senate approved needed funding for the project, though consistent cleaning could ...
Candidates discuss positions on environmental issues
The Kansan spoke with local State Senate and State House candidates, asking ...
Living in limbo: Raul
Raul is pictured on a KU recruitment poster that says "You have ...
Hydroelectric plant plans expansion
Bowersock Dam will provide better recreation and more clean energy.
Regan: Drinking a major part of Irish ...
Irish embrace drinking as a major aspect of life.
Seniors to embark on adventure of a ...
Grant Willie and Andrew Schmidt will leave in July for the Mongol ...
Crappies abundant in lake
Scuba for landlocked divers
Local businesses feel effects of Wakarusa
The Wakarusa Music and Camping Festival brings onslaught of customers to Lawrence ...
Students, Lawrence residents run a buck in ...
The courses started at Haskell University and routed around Lawrence. Even former ...
Mangiaracina: Public transit options prevent drunken driving
People must have reliable alternative forms of transportation if they're expected to ...
From left: Kimberlee Hinkle, Libby Johnson and Hannah ...
1 comment
Kansas Jayhawk fans hold aloft a reproduction of ...
2 comments
Erin Saupe, a Ph.D. student from St. Cloud, ...
1 comment
0 comments
Armed robbers continue to threaten.
3 comments
Lecture from Greg Mortenson, co-author of New York ...
0 comments
Comments
Use the comment form below to begin a discussion about this content.
Sign in to comment
Or login with:
OpenID