Helen Staer, now working at a hospital in Galmi, West Africa, completed the Mothers Day Classic with her colleagues. Photo: supplied.
A group of Esperance women would not be deterred from completing the Mothers Day Classic run, even though two members were in Africa and Asia on the day.
Helen Staer ran the 8km in Galmi, West Africa, and Elise Long made the distance at Palowano in the Philippines.
“Starting the training at home with dear friends from the Bay of Isles Christian Fellowship, running on our beautiful foreshore, gave me a deeper love for my unique home town,” Elise Long said.
“I got to know more people, and hear the stories of members of our Esperance community as we ran together.
“Our coach, Helen, lost her mum to cancer last year, so hearing her story was extra special.”
Helen Staer said she began the project when an almost-bedridden friend asked her for support to get active.
“I made her a training schedule and joined her once a week (when we used to walk together),” she said.
“Then she invited Elise and another friend and we started meeting three times a week. Then more friends!
“Of course by event day Elise was in Philippines and I was here, so we had agreed to run where we are.”
Elise Long trained hard in the humid Filipino conditions.
“When my Palowano neighbours here first saw me running near our community, they looked for whatever was chasing me — people? A dog?” she said.
“And that’s no joke in a place where dogs have rabies.
“And yes, during training, I had to dodge more than one unfriendly hound.”
In the end she ran the course alone.
“Turned out I did 10km, and it was a solo run, but in solidarity with my Esperance and African sisters,” she said.
“Our team group chat kept the bonds strong for mutual encouragement.”
The Esperance contingent mustered six 8km runners and several 4km walkers on the day.
Helen, who is serving with her husband Dr Karl Staer in a west African hospital, mustered several others to run the perimeter of their living compound and the airstrip, three times to make 8km.
“Then I put on cool down celebrations at the pool,” she said.
The Mothers Day Classic is a fundraiser to support breast and ovarian cancer research.
