One of the people who most inspires me in Gilroy is an amazing
young man by the name of Manuel Haro.
One of the people who most inspires me in Gilroy is an amazing young man by the name of Manuel Haro.
His goal of running one of the most challenging marathons in the world in order to raise funds to find a cure for cancer has inspired others as well. Haro is a karate instructor and the online chairman for the Gilroy Relay for Life.
Longtime student Felix Kirchner had nothing but praise for his martial arts sensei, or master teacher.
Kirchner suffers from a genetic developmental disability known as Prader-Willi Syndrome, a rare genetic disorder.
He has been training with Haro for twelve years, since he was 8 years old. His patient instruction has helped Kirchner remain healthy and to achieve a greater level of physical fitness and discipline.
“Manuel Haro has inspired me and he’s my hero because he helped me a lot over the years in American Martial Arts,” Kirchner said. “Thank you for letting me say a few words about this great American hero.”
Haro works with people from age 4 to 90. He also teaches self defense for women as well.
“I lost my mom, Maria Haro, after a 7-and-a-half-year battle to metastatic breast cancer,” Haro said. “After her passing, I decided to fight back against cancer by becoming a volunteer for the American Cancer Society. I’ve participated, fundraised and volunteered for Relay For Life and Making Strides Against Breast Cancer. Now I’ve decided that it’s time to take up a new challenge, to be a marathon charity runner.”
However, when Haro tried to get ready to run his first long distance race last year, the San Jose Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon, he started out by breaking every running rule – he ran too many miles too soon, did not warm up or stretch, did not pace himself and he wore cheap running shoes.
“Worst of all I was overconfident that running a half-marathon would be easy. Wrong! A few days into running I injured my foot, and I would be sidelined for several weeks and miss the Rock ‘n’ Roll 2009 race.
“Injuring myself was the best thing that could have happened to me, because if I had registered to run this half-marathon, I would have never finished. While sidelined, I read several books on running, but this time I learned from my mistakes and trained smarter and I had a plan.”
It was not an easy goal he had set for himself. His first week of training consisted of jogging for five minutes, then walking for a mere five minutes twice. He could not believe what a struggle it was just to run this short amount.
He continued to train over time and finally decided to try running the Big Sur International Marathon. It is considered one of the most challenging marathons in the world due to the steep and hilly terrain and a climb up to what is known as “Hurri-Pain Point” at mile 11 against strong headwinds. On April 25, Haro ran it and finished his first full 26.2 mile marathon.
“It goes to show that with hard work and determination anybody can run a marathon,” he said. “Every mile I ran, I remembered my mom’s battle with cancer and that’s what kept me going to the finish line.”
“Now I am excited to be supporting all the American Cancer Society DetermiNation runners. This Sunday, I will be running the San Jose Rock ‘n’ Roll Half-Marathon. I am a few dollars away from fundraising $400 for the American Cancer Society in its fight against cancer. It’s a wonderful start toward my $1,500 fundraising goal for the Big Sur International Marathon in 2011. Thank you everybody who has donated. I am so lucky to have people like you in my life who are so supportive.”
Eighteen American Cancer Society DetermiNation endurance athletes are running the Rock ‘n’ Roll half-marathon and each will be fundraising $1,500 for the American Cancer Society. As of Wednesday, the athletes have raised a total of $15,602 for the American Cancer Society.
If you are in the San Jose area this weekend, Haro invites you to check out the race, as well as the Friday and Saturday health and fitness expo.
“I’d invite you to check out all the cool stuff,” Haro said. “Friday I’ll be volunteering at the American Cancer Society DetermiNation booth. There will be lots of music and bands headlined by Blues Traveler. The concerts are all free to the public. Come on by and say hello. Sunday morning is race day. Come by cheer the DetermiNation athletes and cheer me on to the finish line.”
If you’d like to support the American Cancer Society DetermiNation runners, they need people to hold signs and cheer them on. The race starts at 8 a.m. at the HP Pavilion Arena at Santa Clara Street and Almaden Boulevard.
To make a donation, contact Haro at 665-5020.
“Every mile I conquer will be more meaningful because I’m doing this for something greater – for a cause I truly believe in. Most of us have been touched by cancer in some way. This is my way of fighting back against a disease that has taken too much.”
For information about the Rock ‘n’ Roll marathon, go to san-jose.competitor.com.
