First Person To Run Across Bali
Josh Lynott, a 22 year old Australian was the first person to run across the whole island of Bali. In doing so, Josh and his team fundraised tirelessly to put Balinese children through school.
Funding For a Better Future
Bali's remote rural communities are heavily impacted by both man-made and natural disasters and many families are living with little to no income. There is minimal government assistance and education MUST be paid for. Families are not able to support their children going to school, so the kids have no option other than a lifetime of working on the land. Individually, Josh was able to fundraise $6,119.45. This money is put towards paying for education, and once these kids receive their high school certificate, they immediately have the chance to earn $200 per month instead of $50-$80 per month.
More Than Just a Race
Going into this race the main goal was to run from one end of Bali to the other, 84km. Josh knew that there was so much more to this than just running. His expectations were unknown, but to Josh's surprise they were more than he could have ever anticipated. His race group was a diverse combination of men and women who have experience in running and traveling, and others who had never left their home country before this trip. It would be an interesting, painstaking and memorable week to say the least.
Opportunity For Opportunity
They started the week off with sharing their "why". Why were they here, why would they put their body through this physical trauma? Josh's "why" was very simple, opportunity. An opportunity for Josh to give opportunities to others. This run they were about to endure was to raise money for The Bali Children Foundation, one of the charities at the forefront of bringing education to kids in Bali.
Motivated and Ready to Go
They day before the race there was still no time to think about what they would undergo the next day. Josh and his team got to visit one of the schools fortunate enough to receive the attention and help from The Bali Children Foundation. The kid's faces lit up with energy and excitement when they spoke about their schooling. The passion from the children motivated Josh to push himself for his race the next day.
Racing Hearts and Pacing Strides
Race day is finally here. The day Josh and his team have been anxiously awaiting. Prior to the race they had a meeting informing the racers on everything that could potentially go wrong and endanger them. It was a long list of frightening thoughts that chilled Josh to the core; dog bites, dehydration, getting lost, heat exhaustion, cardiac arrest and plenty more... Putting all of those thoughts aside, Josh stood readily at the start line. He felt the beat of his heart rapidly increase with each passing moment.
The Perfectly Run Race
6:40 pm and the runners were still bathing in the thickness of the island's humidity, still not grasping how far 84 km is by foot. Josh found himself leading the pack early in the race, and to his disbelief, he led until the very end. The longer the race continued, the faster Josh found himself running, and when he hit 78 km he ran his fastest split. It was that point he knew he could do the unimaginable. He was going to finish this race in under 10 hours. Josh put everything he had into his final strides. With only 9 hours and 40 minutes on the clock, Josh collapsed as he hit the finish line.
It was the perfectly run race, he had nothing left to give.
Something Special
The next couple of hours were a blur and Josh was on an IV drip restoring the liters of fluid he lost. When he heard the news that everyone finished the race he was overwhelmed with a sense of joy and pride to be a part of something so special.
We commend Josh for his selfless acts and outstanding finish. que Bottle is proud to be a part of this experience, getting Josh prepared for the race and help raising awareness.