When Lopez Lomong was snatched away from his village and his family during Sunday morning worship, his life was forever changed. In Running for My Life: One Lost Boy's Journey from the Killing Fields of Sudan to the Olympic Games, he tells his sometimes heart-wrenching, sometimes miraculous, and consistently inspiring story. At only six years old, Lopez was taken by Sudanese rebel soldiers who wanted to train him to be a soldier. With the help of some older boys, he escaped the soldiers' camp and bushwhacked all the way to Kenya, where he found a place in a refugee camp.
With thousands of Lost Boys of Sudan and other refugees, he made a new life in the camp, going to school, scrounging for food, and playing soccer. The older boys who controlled the soccer field mandated that everyone had to run the perimeter of the camp before they could play. It was a big camp--that daily run was 30 km, about 18 miles. Little did he know where those runs would take him.
After ten years of life in the camp, Lopez was accepted to immigrate to the US. A family in Syracuse, New York adopted him, so with only the clothes on his back and very limited English, he moved to the United States, was embraced by this white American family, and started school. He didn't have much education up to that point, but he could run, and led his high school to state championships.
Lopez's love of running and his adoptive parents' supportive insistence that he get a college degree led him to run for Northern Arizona University, where he enjoyed enough success to enter a professional career. Eventually he made the US Olympic team, and was selected to be the flag bearer for the opening ceremonies in Beijing.
As he built his career, he never forgot where he came from, and has spearheaded efforts toward development in his native Sudan. After more than a decade of believing his parents to have been killed at the time of his abduction, he was reunited with his parents and brothers. He continues to work, in partnership with World Vision, to improve life in South Sudan.
Running for My Life shows the best of the human spirit, as Lopez overcame so many obstacles to fulfill his dreams. It shows the best of the United States, as the country, and specifically his adoptive family, welcomed him, supported him, and contributed to his success. His life has been so positive after coming out of such miserable, tragic conditions, that I couldn't help but to be deeply moved and inspired. As a runner, I enjoyed reading about his training and racing experiences. But on a much more profound level, I enjoyed reading about his journey and the hope he gives to others.
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