Info Gathering Expedition Sparks Healthy Living Challenge

"It's how we make what we do work. You have to test things out if you're going to get out there and take youth on expeditions, like we just did in Rajasthan." Ray Zahab, impossible2Possible (i2P) founder, was referring to the last youth expedition with impossible2Possible and his new expedition set for this coming February. This time around it will be running from the Pacific to Atlantic Ocean, from Chile to Argentina, crossing the South American Andes. Consequently they have named this expedition Expreso de los Andes. 

"Each year I pick a project. Last year I ran the length of the Atacama Desert. We (referring to members of i2P) crossed Death Valley off road, before that we ran across Siberia," exclaimed an excited Zahab. Impossible2Possible is a youth organization that educates, inspires and empowers youth to make a positive change in the world. Each year the impossible2Possible team takes youth on expeditions that focus on certain topics like access to clean drinking water and community health. These expeditions are live-casted through custom developed websites in which they promote interaction with students following along from various schools.

For each of these youth expeditions to occur a great deal of planning is necessary. So in most cases the impossible2Possible team will visit the site for the planned youth expedition and challenge themselves while gathering useful information to ensure each youth expedition is a success.

"This year we wanted to do something a little bit different, something coast to coast, and something that would be fun and interesting for students. We just didn't know where we were going to go."

The decision was made a little easier after Zahab departed for the Atacama Desert expedition. He had spent a day hiking in the Andes prior to his run across the Atacama and knew immediately that he had to do something there. As the idea developed, that something became a run that would start on the Chilean Coast, cross over the Andes, passing historical points, and end on the Argentinean Coast.

To successfully complete the journey, one that would start this February 17th, Zahab is planning to run 70 kilometres per day and once up and over the Andes he plans to ramp it up to 100 kilometres per day. The terrain will be a mix of mountain roads (gravel roads), trail and off-road, at an altitude of approximately 4000 metres. When Zahab and his team reach the Atlantic they plan to announce the details of their next youth expedition which is going to take place in Africa, but not without getting some help along the way.

"When I get to the end, the last 100k, I'm planning on bringing two former youth ambassadors from previous i2p youth expeditions. The relevance of this is that these previous youth ambassadors are going to be delivering a message to schools and people all over the world." The message is one that is the driving force behind the expedition.

"When we were in India on the youth expedition we talked about world health. The topics of the Africa expedition this fall are food and water. If you combine these two subject its consumption and health of a community. What's the best way for communities to be healthy? It's for people to exercise, to eat as healthy as they possibly can and make healthier choices. So what we decided to do was to use this expedition as a way to talk about running and the healthy active lifestyle."

Bringing youth out on Zahab's yearly reconnaissance expeditions is something new for impossible2Possible. "We wanted to bring them back out and this is something that we're going to continue to do, with all of my once-a-year expeditions; they're going to finish out the last day with me. This is going to be taking things to a whole new level for them, they are going to run 100k non-stop."

Students at schools throughout the world will be able to track the teams progress on the expedition via a website that is to be launched mid January. As an added educational component, the team has commissioned the help of Dr. Greg Wells, who has worked with the impossible2Possible team on previous expeditions, to accompany Zahab and analyze his blood for the entire run.

"He's going to show the changes in my body from now, when I have started training, to doing the run." The information gathered will be readily available on the website, for interested minds to consume. "That's all great to start a conversation about health, but there's more…" adds Zahab.

Zahab had been in contact with George Singfield, the principal at D'Arcy McGee High School, a school that has followed impossible2Possible youth expeditions in the past. "…He is sedentary and has diabetes," he explains. "He decided that he wants to make a change in his life and he's going to start running. His goal is to run the Ottawa half marathon." So, simultaneous to having Zahab's live data on the website, so too will Principal Singfield.

"Through video, photos, and enduring the program, Principal Singfield will be on the website inspiring us all, as he goes from super busy career person and father, to getting himself healthy and taking control of his health," exclaims Zahab.

The challenge is spreading. Teachers at Principal Singfield's school have become so inspired that they have taken up running as well and are currently challenging other teachers that have been following the i2p expeditions to do the same.

"So we've got this teacher challenge going on where teachers are now training and they are going to take up running. This gave us the idea for what's going to be the third component to this expedition's website," continues Zahab.

The third section to the expedition website is planned to be a student challenge. "What we're saying is this: look, Principal George has inspired us all and is inspiring us all. He's inspired the teachers and students in his own school into wanting to run. Now the challenge is up to you. We're going to ask students to register with us and we're going to provide a fairly basic training program, two month online, with some videos of exercises they can do, and if they stick to this training program for two months (it's all on the honour system), at the end of the two months we'll send them an i2p finisher's medal, to try and get them committed."

For more information on Expreso de los Andes check back for the release of the expedition website which is anticipated to be complete by mid January.