Running for a cause Former Staples Motley cross country coach Gene Mattila is flanked by Hannah (left) and Naomi Landecker, two sisters who both started running under Mattila A Staples Motley High School graduate has big plans coming up this spring and summer. She’s graduating from college in May and getting married in July, but in between, Hannah Landecker plans to run a grueling 56 mile, ultra marathon in Africa.

“You are probably wondering if I’m crazy and if I know what I am getting myself into. Both are a bit true,” Hannah says.

She plans to join with 16 other members of a Team World Vision to compete in Africa’s Comrades Marathon. They are running, not just for themselves, but running to raise funds to

sponsor 1,500 African children

through the World Vision organization.

It’s not surprising to hear she is doing this, as it combines two of Hannah’s greatest passions, her distance running and her concern for the people of Africa. She started running cross country at Staples Motley High School, with Coach Gene Mattila being instrumental in getting her started in cross country. She was a participant in several of the Cardinal CC teams that competed at the state tournament level and she finished among the top ten individuals.

Hannah also has a long history of concern and care for the people of Africa, having taken two mission trips, one to The Gambia in her sophomore year of high school and another to Mozambique, with her mother and sister.

Hannah, who is now completing her final year at North Park University in Chicago and will graduate with a bachelor of science degree with a major in nursing, has been seeking sponsorship for kids through World Vision in the past.

“For the past two years, I have sponsored a beautiful little girl named Anety from Zambia,” she said.”

Last fall Hannah ran in the Chicago Marathon, her first full marathon. She trained and ran with other Team World Vision runners and developed a good relationship with several of them. (Her race time also qualified her to run in the Boston Marathon.) Since that race, she has been asked to join the Team World Vision runners for the Comrades Marathon. In addition to training for that run, she also needs to sign up sponsors for the children they are hoping to help.

“Think about it,” Hannah writes. “In America, we have at least one pair of shoes, almost all of us have attended grade school and most college, we have a few meals or snacks a day and clean water. We have access to health care and we live comfortably in a warm home. The reality is that these children may have none of those basic needs without our help.”

A devout Christian, Hannah gets much of her inspiration from a Bible

verse from John I, Chapter

3, beginning with verse 16: “By this we know love, that

he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for others... Little children, let us not love in word or talk, but in deed and truth.”

Hannah said running this race, “gives me an opportunity to lay my life down for these little children - it is going to take lots of time, energy, money, motivation and commitment. In Christ alone, I will do it.”

The Comrades Marathon is one of the world’s oldest and largest ultra marathons. The course stretches 56 miles (89 km) from Pietermaritzburg, South Africa to the coastal city of Durban. It traverses several grueling hills known as the “Big Five.” It is one of the ultimate tests of human endurance.

Approximately 17,000 athletes are expected to run the marathon on May 30.

Hannah has plans for after the race. “I will be going to a village in South Africa and a village in Kenya after the race to visit the kids we get sponsored. I’m really excited. We are also trying to get a bus of kids out of the village to come see us run.

Team World Vision is running to raise awareness - and raise up sponsors -for children in three impoverished countries: Kenya, Ethiopia and South Africa.

Funds raised will be used to help these people gain access to clean water, health care, education, economic opportunity and caring staff who show God’s unconditional love.

Hannah is asking family and friends to help her out, first by praying for her and this project, secondly, to consider sponsoring a child. This can be done by visiting the website: www:theultimatecause.org and make sure that when you sign up to designate Hannah as the athlete.

She can be e-mailed at hlandecker@ northpark.edu and she will get a packet to you.

For more information, people can also contact her parents Don and Connie Landecker at 218-894-2702