Chetan Hira

Rise Against Hunger

Personal Message:

After 20 years of not doing any road running, this year I decided to go back to my passion. Recently, while running, I was waiting for the traffic light to change and I overheard a young child ask his father, "Dad, we had no breakfast, can you get me some lunch?" The father paused for a moment and in a helpless voice, replied, "Can you give me a couple more hours and I will try to get you something to eat". At that moment, I had some money in the back of my phone, so I took it out and gave it to the father and continued with my run. Having witnessed this, that conversation remained with me during my entire run and all I could think of was how many more children are in the same predicament. How many parent's hearts ache when they have to tell their hungry child to wait a little longer. How many children go to bed without a meal. I stopped my run for a moment, put myself in that parent's shoe, and all I felt was a very heavy heart. Everytime I pass that trafic light, it reminds me of that conversation, which is vividly imprinted in my mind. On June 9th this year, I will be attempting to do the Comrades Ultra Marathon (85.8km/53.3 miles) in South Africa once again. I decided to dedicate this race to raising funds for my charity of choice, Rise Against Hunger, to help combat childhood hunger. Every child deserves a fair chance at a bright future without having to worry about getting their next meal. Fighting childhood hunger starts with one meal at a time. Please join me in this cause. Your donation, no matter the size, will not only motivate me during the race that evey step I take is going for a good cause, but it ensures that hunger doesn't limit a child's ability to learn, grow, and thrive and by standing up against childhood hunger, we can empower these young minds to reach for the stars and dream without the ache of an empty stomach holding them back. I sincerely thank you for your support.