Wincatherine

IndieGoGo Campaign is Go, Go a Goin...Help us make it happen!

2011-04-09T23:56:00.000-04:00

We are over half way there but have only 4 days left in our campaign to raise the funds needed for filming Catherine in Boston as she goes for an unprecedented 5th win! More important than that, however, we will be there to capture her doing what she does just as naturally as running: inspiring student athletes. You can see Catherine's face just light up when she is around children. She is in her glory and children are drawn to her.

On Wednesday, our first scheduled day of shooting in Boston, John Hancock, in partnership with the Boston Scholar Athlete Program, brings members of Boston high school track teams together to meet and train with world-class marathoners, including past champions, Olympians, and top Americans.

I can't wait!

Please help ensure that we will have to funds to film all of the activities race week has to offer! Share our IndieGoGo campaign with everyone you know! click here to visit our IndieGoGo campaign

Check out the perks listed on the right side of the page and choose the one that you love best!

I'll be reporting from Boston next! Thank you to those who have supported us!

One Week and Counting....

2011-04-06T00:38:00.000-04:00

It is only one week until Catherine heads to Boston for the 115th Boston Marathon and we will be right with her filming! We need to film Catherine in Boston. That race is such a part of her resume that it would be a sin not to film with her there. The campaign to raise money for filming in Boston has been going very well and we are just shy of our half way mark! However, with only 8 days left on the campaign, we really need to step things up. Please click here or on the IndieGoGo link on the right side of this page and do what you can. As little as $10 will help and don't forget to check out the perks!

Ok...end of plug :)

A lot has been happening! Catherine arrived last Tuesday and the next day went right to one of her favorite places when she is in the U.S.; Dr. Johnny-King-Marino's office! She doesn't get the chiropractic care in Kenya that she gets from Dr. Johnny!

This past weekend, Catherine ran in the Cooper River Bridge Run and placed 5th. More important than the place she took was that she ran injury free and felt good! Hopefully she is getting a little used to the East Coast weather here in the U.S.; it's been a little crazy. We've had temperatures range from the upper 70's to the low 30's! But, this should only prepare her more for Boston!

WinCatherine has been mentioned in a new blog: MyRun Australia so please check out the site! http://www.myrun.com.au/

I'll try to post again before heading up, otherwise, I'll be posting from Boston!

Catherine Returns to the U.S.

2011-03-27T16:41:00.000-04:00

Only 2 more days until Catherine returns to the U.S. to prepare for the Boston Marathon and only 16 more days in our fundraising campaign! It's amazing, we got off to such a great start; Unfortunately. there was a glitch in the system and our fiscal sponsorship wasn't initially linked to the IndieGoGo campaign, so we had to refund a few donations and ask that the donors re-enter their contribution. So we're still waiting for them to re-donate but please don't let that stop you! We really need everyone's help here. With so many people out there in the on-line universe, it shouldn't be that difficult to raise $4000 to cover filming and the expenses related to it! Send the link to your friends, send it to your Facebook account, don't be afraid to send it anywhere because you just never know who you'll talk to or run in to!

Here is the link you want to share: http://www.indiegogo.com/WinCatherine-The-Story-of-Wincatherine-Nyambura-Ndereba-1

Photo courtesy of Victah Sailer

See you in Boston!

New IndieGoGo Campain-Help us reach the finish line in Boston!

2011-03-19T22:19:00.000-04:00

Memories from Boston 2010

Well, we got a little taste of spring in Pennsylvania yesterday and it reminded me that it is one month away from the Boston Marathon and almost time for Catherine to arrive back here to prepare for it! Time has flown by and it was almost a year ago that Catherine unexpectedly suffered an injury that prevented her from running Boston. This year she is back in good form and every excited to go back to the race where she is the only woman to have won there four times!

Parents and students equally excited to meet the Kenyans at The Elmwood School 2010

I'm really looking forward to filming with Catherine in Boston again because last year it was amazing to see how she affected everyone there, even when she wasn't able to run. It was awesome to see her with the other Kenyans interacting with the students at the Elmwood School in Hopkinton for Adopt-A-Marathoner day. This year some of the elite athletes will be visiting a high school and this presents an opportunity that we can't miss; this is where Catherine is in her glory, interacting with young people, encouraging them, motivating them and sharing her experiences with them.

I have created a new, short term IndieGoGo campaign to raise the funds needed to film in Boston. The money will go towards paying the crew, hotel, meals, logging the footage and equipment. Whether or not you have donated before, please consider a donation to help us capture this special event. You can donate through the IndieGoGo website by clicking here . Your contributions are tax deductible (to the extent of the law) due to WinCatherine being a fiscally sponsored project by Fractured Atlas.

If you prefer, you can also donate directly through the WinCatherine website. It doesn't matter where you donate, but it does matter that you DO donate. Even as little as $10 or $20 will help us reach this short term goal! If you cannot make a contribution at this time, please pass the links on to your friends, family, Facebook friends, Twitter "tweeps", running clubs, bowling leagues, classmates, co-workers...you get the picture; anyone and everyone! The whole idea behind crowdfunding is a little from a lot of people works!

Stay tuned for progress and for reports from Boston. I'm looking forward to seeing Catherine at the end of the month when she is back in Philly; it seems like it has been so long!

Please help us reach the finish line of this short race; the longer race is still underway as we work towards completing WinCatherine: The Story of Wincatherine Nyambura Ndereba in time for the summer Olympics 2012!

2011 Updates

2011-02-27T17:43:00.001-05:00

As we near spring (finally!), I wanted to post some updates on Catherine's schedule. She will be running the Boston Marathon this year and is looking forward to it after being unable to compete last year due to her injury. Her manager, Lisa Buster, is working on creating a full schedule of events but for now, in addition to Boston, she will run a Half Marathon at the Gifu Marathon in Gifu Japan.

Gifu is the birthplace of Naoko Takahashi, and she will be in attendance. Catherine and Naoko hold a special bond; Takahashi held the womens' marathon world record (2:19:46)for only six days before Catherine smashed it with her 2:18:47 in Chicago 2001. I met Naoko Takahashi at the Sotokoto Marathon in Nairobi when we were filming in Kenya. She was lovely and had only great things to say about Catherine and she was sorry they didn't get a chance to visit with each other then. It is nice that they will get to visit together at Gifu.

There have been many news articles now that Catherine has "bowed to pressure" and will run the World Championships again this summer looking for a third title. It's not so much "bowing to pressure" as it is that she has wanted to give some of the younger girls the opportunity to compete, and there are a limited number of positions available on the team. Catherine is already the only woman to have won the World Championships twice.

As for filming of the documentary, we are still looking for funding. Film funding is highly competitive and we're hoping that the message this film brings will attract the sponsorship needed. Please remember to pass along our websites to your friends, family, business associates and anyone else you think may be able to help. It is through your help that we will finish the film in time for the 2012 Olympics!

http://wincatherine.com/ http://wincatherine.blogspot.com/

http://www.facebook.com/WinCatherine

Happy Holidays

2010-12-25T00:00:00.030-05:00

I spoke to Catherine on Christmas Eve and she was in great spirits being home for Christmas! Anthony was on "stand by" for work so they were unable to spend the holiday with his parents so they took Jane and Kevin (Catherine's nephew) to Anthony's parents to spend the day and Catherine stayed home to be with Anthony. They plan on going to church on Christmas morning and then having a bbq with friends after. It definitely is a joyous time of year in the Ndereba household :)

Catherine told me all about her recent trip to Japan which was for a different reason than her usual trips there. She filmed an episode of Fuji TV's Junk Sports and said it was a lot of fun! She "competed" alone against several teams and they did some running and from what it sounds like, it was a type of obstacle course. I would love to see it and will check to see if Fuji TV broadcasts online! If anyone catches the program, please let me know how it was!

Finally, as the year ends, I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Holidays and a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year. I am grateful for the support we have had to date for the film "WinCatherine" and am optimistic that the New Year will bring much needed sponsors and support. We really need to get the film edited and the remaining footage shot so it can be complete in time for the 2012 Olympic season. Please ask your friends, family and colleagues to visit the website www.wincatherine.com and contribute what they can.

Update on Catherine Ndereba and WinCatherine

2010-12-05T16:02:00.000-05:00

Wow I hadn't realized how time has flown since my last post! With Catherine back in Kenya and so much work to do, the time just got away from me!

To get up to date, the IndieGoGo campaign ended and even though we fell short of our $10,000 goal, we have not given up! There are too many people looking forward to this film and to Catherine's story. Especially now that many American celebrities have taken up the cause against bullying, I feel it is important to get this story out to the world. Catherine is an excellent example of a child who did not let the bullies get her down, who did not let bullying define her or prevent her from achieving her goals! She also does not harbor resentment towards those who bullied her.

I recall when we were filming in Kenya at her secondary school, Ngorano Secondary, one of the teachers had sent word that Catherine would be there and several of her former classmates were there when we arrived to film. I learned that one of the men there was one of the biggest bullies to her when she attended there! She treated him with the same respect as she did the others. She did not need to point out to him what his past actions were. Standing there as the success she is I'm sure was reminder enough to this man that his actions in the past were inappropriate. I can only hope that he has raised his children to be more respectful than he was.

Whether it is called teasing, bullying, or just plain being mean, how children treat each other is a major topic of discussion in the world today and for good reason. Children need to embrace their individuality and need to be more tolerant of others. This is one of the main messages we want to impart in the film.

Moving on to news of Catherine, she returned to Kenya at the end of October in time to be present for Jane's graduation ceremonies from Primary school to Secondary school! This was extremely important to both Catherine and her daughter because probably the biggest sacrifice Catherine has had to make for her career is the time she has missed watching Jane grow up. It was a very special occasion for the family to be together for this important event! Catherine has been spending time at home with her family and enjoying having everyone together!

When Catherine left here, she had just finished nursing an injury to her foot that she sustained at a race she ran in Virginia. When I spoke with her she told me she has been increasing her mileage by 5 miles each week and was feeling great! She should be up to about 30 or 35 miles a week by now.

As for news on the film, we are still in need of funds to get the footage edited. We are looking for individual donors as well as corporate sponsors. We know there are organizations out there that would love to be associated with this film and promote the central themes of womens empowerment, Title IX issues and the importance of girls in sports and education, anti-bullying, health and fitness and faith. If you or anyone you know may be interested in supporting the film with a sponsorship, please get in touch with me at stefani@sparklinblueproductions.com.

Finally, I'd like to welcome any readers from Women Talk Sports; you'll notice their badge on this blog page. Please visit the site and check out the many great articles, blogs and contributors there!

Only 7 More Days to Help Fund WinCatherine on IndieGoGo

2010-11-01T23:46:00.000-04:00

There are only 7 days left on our IndieGoGo campaign to help get us to the next stage of production and log all of our footage and get it transcribed and translated where necessary. All contributions are tax deductible and there are incentives as well!

With celebrities now speaking out against bullying and bringing public awareness to the issue, now more than ever we need to tell this story to show our children that you do not have to be defined by what others say or think! Catherine overcame many obstacles and one of the biggest was the teasing she endured as a child.

Please log on to IndieGoGo and contribute what you can! We have had 2,172 views; that means if each visitor donated even $10, we would have raised $21,172! If each visitor had donated even $5, we would have raised $10,860 and met our goal! So even if you think a little doesn't help, it really does! Let's see if we can reach our goal in the next 7 days!

New Interview with Catherine Ndereba

2010-10-19T08:02:00.000-04:00

Check out this great interview with Catherine at GaryCohenRunning! I'm sure you'll find it worth the read!

Post Fundraiser

2010-10-06T22:30:00.006-04:00

So it has been two weeks since the “Prefontaine Film & Fundraiser” to benefit the making of the documentary film WinCatherine: The Story of Wincatherine Nyambura Ndereba and I am just now getting to posting about it. I apologize for the delay. Life has been very hectic and time was marching by but I wanted to share my thoughts.

I am very grateful to Johnny King-Marino for suggesting this event and for promoting it to his patients, co-workers, running clubs and friends, as well as for bringing on sponsors to cover the cost of the theater! It was a very generous gesture on his part and I am deeply grateful.

The night started off well when I actually got a metered parking space right outside of the theater. It doesn’t sound that important, but I had a lot of items to get out of the car and into the theater. The staff at The County Theater was great; they were so nice and very accommodating. They gave us a table to display concessions and allowed us to sell whatever we wanted so the proceeds could go to the film. They even donated the popcorn for us to sell!

Audience patiently awaits the event to begin

I called the event for 6:30 expecting it would take time for people to get settled before starting with the trailer at 6:45. I didn’t count on people arriving early and the matinee before us to run a little beyond 6:30 but everyone was patient!

Catherine arrived with her manager, Lisa (who is also my sister), as well as Simon Ndirangu, (one of her training mates while in Norristown) my parents and Dr. Johnny. They had all gone out for Philadelphia cheesesteaks before!

Catherine & manager Lisa Buster greet attendees


Catherine greets attendees


The audience awaits the start

Catherine in the audience

By 7pm it was time to start with the showing of the WinCatherine trailer.

The WinCatherine trailer plays before an almost full house

When it ended Prefontaine began. I was nervous but knew that no matter what, people would leave the theater inspired! The time flew and before I knew it the films were over. I had wanted Catherine to speak to everyone but she did not want to. I am not good at speaking in front of audiences but wanted to thank everyone for coming out and supporting us. I was able to speak better than I expected and I sincerely believe that was because I am passionate about WinCatherine! I feel it is so important for all of us to have role models who have been able to overcome teasing and obstacles to realize their dreams. Especially in light of recent news and so much awareness now about bullying and teasing, Catherine’s ability to persevere in the face of adversity is truly inspiring.

Speaking to the audience after

When the event ended, Catherine stayed behind to talk to people and take photographs with them.


Catherine poses with fans George Bruno & Karla Kay Shantz

Many people thanked us for a nice evening and I was relieved that people were not only entertained, but also inspired. My hope is that the people who attended will pass on the WinCatherine website, blog and IndieGoGo websites and generate more donations. We really need to raise more money and finally get into editing; we are getting so close to the end of 2010 and that means closer to the 2012 Olympics and I know we need to capitalize on the Olympic momentum that will start building in 2011!

Simon Ndirangu (L) & Catherine Ndereba (R)

There are ONLY 30 DAYS LEFT on our IndieGoGo campaign. Please don’t forget to visit WinCatherine on IndieGoGo to make your donation and you can help make WinCatherine a reality!

Catherine Ndereba & my mom, Arlene Buster

Me and Catherine Ndereba

TONIGHT IS THE NIGHT! MEET CATHERINE NDEREBA!

2010-09-22T13:35:00.000-04:00

Tonight is our fundraising event in Doylestown, Pennsylvania where you can meet Catherine Ndereba in person! Johnny King-Marino & Advanced Sports Chiropractic, in conjunction with HighRoad Cycles MultiSport Club and the Endurance Sports Expo (ESE) will present the feature film Prefontaine along with a special big screen showing of the fundraising trailer for the documentary film on Catherine Ndereba-- WinCatherine: The Story of Wincatherine Nyambura Ndereba.

It will be an inspiring night of screenings! Prefontaine is the story of Steve Prefontaine, a young long-distance runner from Oregon who pursued the dream of Olympic Gold. Although his story turns out tragically, he still inspires people to reach for their dreams. WinCatherine is a story that will inspire athletes and non-athletes alike. Even this fundraising trailer will inspire you!

I know a lot of you won't be able to make this event because you're not nearby but there are still ways you can help! Please visit our IndieGoGo campaign here or the Official WinCatherine Website here and click on "Donate".

For those of you lucky enough to be nearby, we hope to see you at The County Theater, 20 E. State St., Doylestown, PA TONIGHT!

Details of the event can be found here: WinCatherine Fundraiser

CATHERINE NDEREBA & "PREFONTAINE"!?!?!

2010-09-15T00:00:00.001-04:00

ONE WEEK FROM TONIGHT!

If you are in the Philadelphia area, or within a reasonable driving distance, DON'T MISS THIS OPPORTUNITY to MEET CATHERINE NDEREBA
at a special event!

Advanced Sports Chiropractic

Tickets are limited and only $10.00!

GUARANTEE YOUR SEATS BY PURCHASING YOUR TICKETS ONLINE NOW!
CLICK HERE TO BUY YOUR TICKET VIA PAYPAL

A New Race for Catherine

2010-09-14T22:33:00.001-04:00

Well, for a minute it looked like Catherine was going to run the new ING Rock 'n' Roll Philadelphia Half Marathon (formerly the ING Philadelphia Distance Run) this weekend but things have a way of changing. Now, Catherine will headline an inaugural race starting in Virginia, and heading across the Woodrow Wilson Bridge into Maryland, for an event not surprisingly called the Woodrow Wilson Bridge Half Marathon! I can only imagine how exciting it must be for a race director to be able to bring such an accomplished runner to an inaugural event! Check out the website for this race here. You can also check out the press release.

Catherine will be on hand Friday at the packet pick up and also on Saturday she will be at the Westin National Harbor to sign autographs and talk about her career. (For those of you not near that area but closer to the Philadelphia or NJ area, please check out where you can meet Catherine on Wed. September 22nd! meet Catherine Ndereba.

Knowing Catherine, I'm sure she is all too happy to talk to a new group of people and share her story!

Look for Catherine to be wearing bib #1 and don't forget to check back after the weekend for photos!

As always, if you can help out with a donation to the documentary, please visit our IndieGoGo campaign and check out our incentives!

Post Crim and Some Blogs to Check Out

2010-08-30T20:32:00.000-04:00

Catherine returned to Flint, MI this past weekend to run the 2010 Crim Festival of Races 10 mile. When asked how many time she had won the race, she said "like three or four times" but someone corrected her that it was actually SIX times! She really had no idea just how successful she has been at the Crim! She won every year from 1996-2002 except for 1997 when she was pregnant and did not run. She had not been back since 2002 because each year since, she has been training for either the World Championships or the Olympics, and it did not fit into her training schedule. She was genuinely glad to be back and had told me while we were cooking the weekend before, that she was looking forward to it. She placed 5th and was very happy with that. She has now run three races since coming off her injury and she's feeling healthy. Her speed work is also progressing so things are good!

As for the documentary, we are still looking for donations and sponsors for the film and hopefully this week we will see a new surge in people who want to see this film happen and are able to donate. Several bloggers have written posts and I'd like to thank them here.

I want to send a huge shout out to Leah at her Chasing Atlanta blog. She wrote a post about WinCatherine and asked her readers to check out our websites and help out if they can! Chasing Atlanta is a great running blog so please check it out and look through her previous posts as well.

I also want to send a big thank you to Ryan at I Run Flint for the blog post letting his readers know about the WinCatherine documentary and asking them for help as well! Please check out his blog that is also full of inspiring stories. Ryan also sent in photos taken of Catherine at the Crim race last weekend.

Thanks also to everyone who has already helped out and supports this inspirational film. Keep passing on our IndieGoGo campaign to your friends and family and together we will make it happen!

photo courtesy of Ryan Litwiller

Cooking with Catherine

2010-08-22T18:05:00.004-04:00

It's been over two years now since I first visited Kenya and since I had my first traditional Kikuyu dish at Catherine's house. Every time I have traditional Kenyan food, I love it and want to learn how to make it. The Kenyans cook with such fresh ingredients, the food is very healthy and tastes great. I have been asking Catherine for awhile now to give me a cooking lesson and we finally had the date scheduled!

I arrived at the athletes' house around 1:30 and Catherine was just finishing her lunch. The house was quiet as her brother, Samuel, was off at a race in Michigan, so it was just Catherine, Irene and Simon there.

Simon Ndirangu smiling as usual!

The lights were out to keep the house cooler, and everyone had already done their morning training so they were relaxing. After socializing for a bit, it was time to shop for our ingredients. First, Catherine took out some dried peas and left them in a bowl to soak while we were out.

soaking peas

Our first stop was to Dollar Tree, or what I refer to as "$20 Tree" because it is virtually impossible to leave there without spending at least that much! We both love that store but knew we didn't want to spend too much time so we grabbed a few items and went on our way. Our main stop was at this amazing produce store not too far from where the athletes' house is. This store is more like a large stand; it's just a plain building and there is nothing but produce; massive quantities of it at extremely cheap prices! You walk in, take a number, and when you're called someone waits on you, you tell him/her what you want, they get it, put it in a box and even take the box out to your car if needed. (Usually, when the athletes shop here they buy large quantities and the box is heavy)! The whole process is very streamlined and while it can be extremely busy, it usually moves along fairly quickly. We got our fresh vege supply and returned to the house.

At this point it was too early to start cooking so Catherine asked me for a favor; would I take her shopping? Of course I would; if that is the price of a cooking lesson, it is well worth it! I know she loves to shop and without a car in the U.S., it's hard to do large shops! Once Irene heard we were hitting the Walmart, she was on board for the trip! The three of us hit Walmart and had fun; Irene shopped for her daughter Debra and bought herself a matching outfit. Catherine shopped for her daughter, Jane, as well as for her niece and one of her friends asked her to pick up some educational DVD's. We went through a huge bin of DVD's and her and Irene both got a few titles suitable for youngsters. My recommendation was for them to find Sesame Street DVD's if they wanted educational ones, so we found them and they both purchased that as well. Overall, we had a good time shopping and laughing but it was getting late and it was time for the "lesson" to begin!

Irene Limika models one of her new outfits

Once we got back to the house, we laid out all the ingredients and Catherine immediately started preparing. The cooking lesson for the day was Mukimo and stew. I've written about mukimo before, but if you haven't read the posts, it is a traditional Kikuyu dish made from potatoes. It is similar to mashed potatoes but there is no butter in it. It is simply made with the potatoes and a select few vegetables and is a healthy staple of the Kikuyu diet. Usually, you don't eat it by itself; it is served with some stew or soup in the same bowl and eaten together. Today we were making a stew with beef in it.

Catherine jumped right in and started grating carrots as I took notes, photos and video to be sure i didn't miss a thing! I also wanted to help and when I asked, Catherine was very cute; she didn't think I knew how to peel potatoes without a peeler! I laughed because she just assumed that we all use the peeler here, which of course we do but it doesn't mean I didn't now how to peel with just a knife! So, Irene and I went to work peeling all the potatoes and cutting them up. Catherine chopped, grated and prepared the remaining vegetables and Irene cubed the beef. I asked questions along the way and took good notes because I know that the next time I will be making the dishes and Catherine will be grading me! She has already told me that Irene will not be allowed in the kitchen with me when I do so she can't help. Catherine said she will be the proctor and make sure I do it all myself to earn the good grade!

fresh ingredients ready

mmmm, onions and garlic

everything prepared

Catherine starting to cook

It was a lot of fun learning and I have a real appreciation of the work involved. It's not that it is hard work, but it is quite time consuming getting everything prepared, letting things simmer and cook, and then making the final preparations which includes "smashing" an entire pot of potatoes. The key to a good mukimo, Catherine taught me, is to not have any lumps!

those are not lumps, that is corn!

The finished stew

The table is ready....

After two hours everything was ready and we sat down for the meal. After a lengthy and heartfelt grace by Catherine, we all enjoyed the delicious dish!
Mukimo, left and stew, right


Catherine offers Anthony a plate, too bad he's in Kenya and can't join us!

This is how it is served

During dinner, I asked Catherine about how she was feeling with her running and she was very happy with her run at Falmouth where she placed fourth. She is looking forward to the Crim race in Michigan next week. We also discussed where she may run a fall marathon and she is undecided about that at this point in time. Her and Lisa (Buster, her manager) need to look at her schedule and figure it all out. Once they do, I will post where she will run.

I am looking forward to making the meal on my own the next time but we decided to hold off on scheduling until after the Crim race where, she heads with her brother next weekend. After that, we will schedule my test! I will post my "marks" after I receive them (if I pass)!

Beach is finished; now on to Falmouth!

2010-08-10T14:20:00.000-04:00

I just spoke to Catherine to see how she is doing. She ran the Beach to Beacon race last Saturday and it was her first race since her injury. She was running to gauge her fitness and see where she was at. The weather was perfect; not hot and not humid which is always a help! It was a very good field of runners on both the mens and womens sides and Catherine placed 6th among the women (33.33.7). She is very happy with how she ran and more importantly, with how she feels. She isn't having any pain and is looking forward to this weekend at Falmouth.

Beach to Beacon holds a lot of memories for Catherine. Not only has she won the race several times in the past, one of the special things about the race is that the elite athletes are housed with families during their stay. Catherine was reunited with the same family she has always stayed with, even though she hasn't been back in five years; that is very special for her. The race is also organized by Joan Benoit-Samuelson who has been an inspiration to Catherine. She still won't eat a lobster but told the crowd at the awards ceremony: "I love you...I really want you to know you really have a place in my heart." I wasn't there but I can picture Catherine exactly how she would say that to the crowd; with complete humility and a wide smile!

Irene Limika, who trains with Catherine, was 4th (33.06..1) and Catherine's brother, Samuel, was 13th among the men. Congrats to all the winners!

Next up, Falmouth! Hopefully the weather will cooperate this weekend as well and not be too hot and humid for the runners.

This weekend: The "Maine" Event

2010-08-06T15:16:00.000-04:00

Good luck to all the athletes participating in the 2010 Beach to Beacon 10k race tomorrow! This is the race that legend Joan Benoit-Samuelson started 13 years ago. As she told The Portland Press Herald: "All I wanted was an event that showcased our state. And the people here. It's inspiring for me because I see what this race can do for people." (Read the full article here.) The race has become a favorite to many over the years and has increased in popularity.

Three of Lisa Buster's Norristown athletes left yesterday for Maine and will be running tomorrow. Irene Limika returns to defend her 2009 win.

(Irene Limika 2009)

Samuel Ndereba, Catherine's brother, will also be running and Catherine returns after a six year absence. She has won the race five times!

(Catherine Ndereba Beach to Beacon 2002)

This is also Catherine's first race since she had to withdraw from the Boston Marathon due to a tear of her piriformis muscle. She says she feels good; I'm sure a lot of people will be watching her to see how she looks. I do know that she will listen to her body and run accordingly, regardless of whether that will bring her a win or not. An important lesson I have learned from Catherine is that it isn't always about winning!

Last year I teased Irene because she wouldn't try lobster, a Maine favorite (and a favorite of mine!), while she was up there.

(No, Irene Limika (L), did not try the lobster even though it sat next to her!)

It has now become a running joke and I dared her, Catherine and Samuel to eat one and send me a photo. It's a shame I'm not up there filming with them this weekend; I would have loved to capture an encounter between Catherine and a lobster! But, I don't think that's going to happen anyway; they all seem very adamant about not even touching one much less eating one! (Maybe if the meat were out of the shell......who knows!)

Anyway, I hope that the weather is cooperative, that everyone has a great race and that Catherine feels healthy and strong after! Both the men's and women's fields look to be very competitive.

Please remember to visit our IndieGoGo campaign and send the link to all your friends; we need your help to finish the film WinCatherine!

Back in the USA

2010-07-27T13:37:00.001-04:00

It had been awhile since I'd seen Catherine; the last time was when we drove back from Boston after the marathon there. Her flight back to Kenya had been canceled due to the volcano ash and her trip home was postponed. So it was really nice to see her on Sunday and catch up on everything! I arrived at the Norristown training home where there are currently four Kenyan athletes living: Catherine, her brother, Samuel Ndereba,

(sura ya kazi!)

Irene Limika and Simon Ndirangu.

Fortunately, it was Sunday, the day no one trains because it is the day for church and relaxation. The weather the past few days had been ridiculously hot & humid; above 95F, and they all said how difficult the heat was. So not a good day to train but, it was a perfect day to go produce shopping! Thankfully, as soon as we were ready to leave, the skies opened up and a huge storm passed through, cooling off the sticky temperature by over 20 degrees; it felt SO nice!

When we got back from the produce store, Catherine started cutting up vegetables. She loves to cook and I love watching and learning. I am hoping to be able to cook like the Kenyans soon! They use all fresh ingredients and the stews are SO good! So I watch and take mental notes. I reminded Catherine about her promise to teach me how to make Mukimo and she said she definitely will soon. I can't wait! In the meantime, I took good notes on how to make Chapati. It is really a team effort both on the track and off with this group of runners managed by Lisa Buster. In the house, they all take turns preparing meals and sometimes even prepare them together. I find it interesting especially since in Kenya it is definitely NOT that way. There, the women do the cooking and you generally will not see the men in the kitchen! I mentioned that to Samuel and Simon and they both agreed that is true but here in the U.S. they all work together!

Here you can see how they all made Chapati as a team!

First, Samuel mixes the dough; today he combined some Chapati (whole wheat) flour with some white flour, he mixed in some shredded carrots and combined with enough water to make the dough. It almost looks like pizza dough!

Simon Ndirangu (L) & Samuel Ndereba (R)

Then he put some oil on the table so the dough wouldn't stick and rolled the dough out very thin. The next step was to score the dough vertically with a knife so the dough now stood in strips.

Next was to roll up the strips into pinwheels (looking almost like a Cinnabon!) He then dipped the pinwheels in flour, dusting each one lightly.

Then it was time to roll out each "bun" into a perfectly formed circle that looked almost like a large pancake!

It was at this point that Irene stepped in; she would take each "pancake" and cook it in a very hot, cast-iron pan, carefully turning it often so it doesn't burn (trust me, you have to be careful! Last year in Kenya Catherine's mother taught me how to make Chapati and let me make a few. Catherine was able to pick out every one I made because they were a little burned!)

Once Irene had cooked each Chapati, it was time for Simon to step in. He took each one, put it in the cast-iron pan and basted it lightly with oil making sure not to burn them. And that was it! Chapati was ready!

In the meantime, Catherine was working on the stew. All the fresh veges she had cut up were simmering nicely to form it. Finally it was time for dinner and well worth the wait as always!

Catherine was in great spirits and said she's feeling great and looking forward to some upcoming races; the Beach to Beacon in Maine August 7th and the Cigna Falmouth Road Race August 15th.

It was a fun, relaxing afternoon/evening with everyone and I'm looking forward to more days like it. Welcome back Catherine!

Here we had some fun taking our own photos! There's no hiding that Catherine & Samuel are brother and sister!

Me & Catherine

Me & Samuel

Me & Irene

A Birthday Home Then Back in the USA

2010-07-19T14:23:00.000-04:00

July 21, 2009 Catherine's birthday celebration

Well here it is mid-July and it has been a bit unusual not having Catherine here in the United States. Except for the year she had Jane, this will be the first year in 15 that she will celebrate her birthday on July 21st IN Kenya with her husband! She has been in the United States training and competing every other year. The photo here was taken at her birthday celebration in the U.S. last year and for fun I photoshopped Anthony in to the picture. I'm glad she'll actually be with him this year so they can celebrate his birthday a little early with her as well (his is July 25th). She will, however, spend part of the day traveling as she leaves that night and arrives back in Philadelphia on the 22nd. Fortunately though, she has been training in Kenya and nursing her torn muscle back to health and hopefully will be in top form again in no time!

As for the film, things are moving along but we are still feeling the effects of the economy and raising the budget is taking longer than expected. The good news is, we have extended our IndieGoGo campaign and you can still donate (even as little as $10) to help! Just think, if Catherine Ndereba's story can inspire one girl to pursue her dreams, one girl to make a better life for herself, you will be a part of that! Please check out the IndieGoGo campaign donate whatever you can to help.

We want to send out a very special thanks to Marathonguide.com for their generous donation to WinCatherine! Marathonguide.com is a great website for " Everything Marathoning - Information, Results & More" and you can check them out here: marathonguide.com

I'll be sure to post some new photos as soon as I see Catherine after her arrival!

Catherine at the Safaricom Lewa Marathon 2010

2010-06-28T17:08:00.000-04:00

Catherine and her husband, Anthony were in Isiolo this past weekend to attend the 2010 Safaricom Lewa Marathon. It is the only marathon held entirely within a game reserve and the race benefits the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy. Even though she did not run, Catherine and Anthony came out to support Safaricom and the Conservancy. You can read more about the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy here.

I know people run marathons for many different reasons but but I'm especially fond of this worthy cause. It is so important to protect the wildlife. I can only imagine how awesome it must be to be running alongside such amazing animals! I wonder if part of the motivation to keep going is to outrun the lions! :-)

Please don't forget to stop by and support our fundraising campaign at our Official Website or at our IndieGoGo site. We need your help!

WinCatherine on IndieGoGO now accepting Tax-Deductible Donations!

2010-06-15T16:09:00.000-04:00

I mentioned an announcement would be coming regarding the IndieGoGo campaign and now it is official: Our fiscal sponsor, Fractured Atlas, has now partnered with IndieGoGo which is great news for anyone making a donation to WinCatherine! Now in addition to choosing a perk or incentive for your donation, your contribution is tax-deductible (to the extent of the law)! Click here to visit WinCatherine on IndieGoGoo; check it out and be a part of making this film happen!

Now on to other news:

I spoke to Catherine today for the first time since her return from the UK in conjunction with the Kenyan Community Bedford program (see previous post). She said it was an excellent trip! Along with a few other top elite athletes from Kenya, they visited an elementary school, a high school and a university where they ran with the students. They visited a hospital where Kenyan Community Bedford has been involved with raising money to support the children's ward, and they also did a run on Saturday with adults. The program was designed to inspire both the British and Kenyan people in the communities. The schedule was quite busy and there was not much time for training but Catherine said it was all a great experience!

Photo by Ken courtesy of Kenyan Community Bedford

Catherine is now back in Kenya again and continues to heal from the injury to her piriformis muscle which forced her to withdraw from the Boston Marathon back in April. At this time she is not in pain and has just begun to add speed work back into her training. One of Catherine's many strengths is that she has always been able to listen to her body and progress as she sees fit. She's hoping to be fully healed soon so she can resume her racing! For now she is enjoying being back home with her family. Her daughter arrives home tomorrow for an extended weekend break from school and Catherine is very excited to spend time with her and celebrate Jane's belated 13th birthday!

Want to see footage from Catherine's visit to the UK and much more? Please don't forget to check out the IndieGoGo campaign and our website and donate whatever you can to help us get this film finished; there is a lot of amazing footage and interviews waiting to be assembled!

A New Look for WinCatherine Blog

2010-06-14T16:49:00.000-04:00

Welcome to the new look of the Wincatherine blog! Since there were new tools available, I decided it was time to upgrade and spruce up the look a bit. I hope you like it! Your feedback is welcome and appreciated!

Things are moving along and more funds are starting to roll in. We were mentioned on another running site recently so please check it out at garycohenrunning.com/

Coming up I'll post comments from Catherine from her trip to the UK for the Kenyan Community Bedford program that she participated in along with other elite Kenyan athletes.

Stay tuned for some more changes and a new announcement about the IndieGoGo campaign!

WinCatherine on IndieGoGo, RunnersWeb.com and more....

2010-06-03T18:04:00.002-04:00

Much has been going on since my last post. First, we now have an IndieGoGo campaign going to raise money to get to the next stage of the film. click here for WinCatherine on IndieGoGo We have many hours of footage shot with Catherine in Kenya, London and Boston and more that need to be logged. We have interviews that need to be translated from Swahili and Kikuyu. And, we need to edit a longer cut to submit with an application to apply for a grant from the Sundance Documentary Fund! Crowd funding is fairly new and people have been having much success with it by appealing to their audiences to help fund what they want to see. Do you want to see an inspirational film about how Catherine Ndereba was able to defy the conventions of a male dominated society and rise from a remote village in Kenya to become the great athlete that she is? Every runner, every student, every athlete of any type can benefit from the lessons learned by dedication and hard work so this is your chance to make a difference and help get the film made! Pass it on to your friends, family, running clubs, Facebook friends, and even enemies :-) With as little as $10 you can make a difference if you pass it along!

Today, RunnersWeb.com posted a link to WinCatherine on several of their pages! If you go to the home page, http://www.runnersweb.com/ the trailer is right there! Also, if you navigate on the left and go down to "Women's Sites" at the bottom, it will take you to a page that lists an incredible number of sites pertaining to women's running and we are listed alphabetically under WinCatherine! (hmmmm, maybe a change of name to bring that up to the top!)

Now on to news about Catherine. On June 6th she will arrive in Bedford, UK along with a group of Kenyan runners with a mission of inspiring members of the community there. The program is being set up with the co-operation of Bedford Borough Partnership and Kenyan Community Bedford. (You can read the announcement here and what they hope to do: Kenyan Athletes to visit Bedford.) This is the list of athletes attending from Kenya: marathon runners Paul Tergat, Catherine Ndereba, Duncan Kibet and Samuel Wanjiru, with middle distance runners Wilfred Bungei and Benjamin Limo..Notice anything here? I find it interesting that Catherine is the only woman among the group! There are many talented female Kenyan athletes now but Catherine is the only one invited on this mission. In my opinion, this demonstrates how much of a hero Catherine is to her country. On the other hand, does it also show that women are still much farther behind the men in representation in Kenya?

Catherine is still working on recovering from her injury so was not able to take part in the Prison Championships this year. It was odd for me not being there either; I was there the past two years! I miss Kenya and look forward to getting back there one day to complete filming. I learned some sad news last week regarding someone I was looking forward to interviewing. He was a man who literally helped Catherine start her career and I learned he passed away suddenly from a heart attack. I spoke with his wife and she said he always followed Catherine's career with so much pride. I'm sorry that I will never meet Rajesh Padia but look forward to meeting his wife Kalpa when I go back. (when you see the film you'll learn what his role was in Catherine's journey).

I wish all the Kenyan athletes a safe journey to Bedford and look forward to hearing all about it upon their return.

Please don't forget to promote the IndieGoGo campaign! This is a great way to help get a film made that YOU want to see! http://www.indiegogo.com/WinCatherine-The-Story-of-Wincatherine-Nyambura-Ndereba

Updates: May 2010

2010-05-18T14:16:00.000-04:00

I spoke to Catherine last week before leaving for my son's graduation from Duke (yes, I'm a proud mama!) Catherine said she had a nice but quiet Mother's Day with her husband. Jane was away at school so she didn't get to spend time with her but had just seen her while Jane had a short break. Catherine said she has been training and receiving a lot of massage therapy and that the muscle tear is healing. She hopes to be back in the U.S. soon for training as well.

In news about the film, donations have not been coming in as well as hoped so we still have not been able to move ahead with the next step of logging all the footage we've shot, transcribing it all and getting translation for Swahili and Kikuyu dialogue. The economy has not helped but we are still hoping people will come forward and make whatever contribution they can at our website: www.wincatherine.com
We are also still looking for corporate sponsors so if you know of an organization that may be able to help, please let us know! Every little bit counts!

Prime Example of Catherine as a Role Model in Kenya

2010-04-23T12:14:00.000-04:00

I wasn't really planning on a blog post today but I came across an article online that was discussing the drought for American men and women in winning the Boston Marathon. As I looked over the list, I noticed that there was not ONE female Kenyan winner before Catherine Ndereba's win in 2000. Since then, there have been three others besides Catherine's four wins: Margaret Okayo, Rita Jeptoo and Salina Kosgei. There were plenty of Kenyan MEN winning, going back to Ibrahim Hussein in 1988 but no Kenyan women. To me this just emphasises even more the role Catherine has played in influencing women in Kenya!

You can view the list of previous winners here

Boston Marathon Race Day: April 19, 2010 Part Two

2010-04-19T22:11:00.007-04:00

view of the finish line of the 2010 Boston Marathon taken from The Lenox Hotel

Race day in Boston was amazing! From very early on there were people on Boylston Street milling around and making final preparations. We had many options for filming; the view from my room at the Lenox Hotel offered a prime spot facing the finish line, they also invited us to their rooftop party which had an incredible view of Boylston Street approaching the finish line and beyond and we also could get down on the street near the bleachers and shoot from there as well. We started the morning capturing the run Catherine did with Joan Benoit Samuelson. Our Boston DP, Russ Jaquith, followed them on his bicycle and filmed them during a light run along the Charles River. The footage looks amazing! They got back from their run just in time for the womens' start. Catherine watched the race with her friend Helen and Lisa in a lounge reserved for managers and coaches of the elite athletes. At 11:20 am a reporter from WBZ interviewed Catherine just beyond the finish line and asked her about her injury and missing the race. As usual, she was completely gracious and upbeat.

Unfortunately, since we were working we did not get to see much of the race but what we did catch was exciting and we heard bits and pieces of the commentary. It was very exciting on all fronts and amazing to see Ernst Van Dyk win his 9th title in the men's wheelchair division, Robert Cheruiyot set the course record in the men's race and Teyba Erkesso hold on to a commanding lead to win the women's race. Being right there in the midst of all the commotion near the finish line was incredible and the atmosphere was electric! We went over to the Fairmont Copley and Catherine was with Helen in the lobby waiting for their friends to come in from the course. Salina Kosgei, last year's winner of the women's race, came in third and Catherine was there to greet and congratulate her as well as the other winners. Even though she hadn't run today, many people approached Catherine in the lobby and she greeted them all with warmth and signed autographs or posed for photos with anyone who asked. Lisa went off to greet Moses Kigen Kipgosgei, one of her other athletes who came in 8th in the men's race; he was having a lot of foot pain so they went to have the podiatrist look at it. Catherine and Helen waited in the lobby. They were sitting on a sofa and Denise Robson's mother was right next to them when she learned that Denise had won the women's masters race! It was so awesome to watch the emotion well up and overtake her; the proud mama! I was glad to hear that Denise won; she was awesome!

Around 1pm we went back to The Lenox to film from the room and the roof and get some nice shots of people crossing the finish line.

view from the roof of The Lenox Hotel

There was a big marathon party going on all day at the Lenox and the energy at the place was a lot of fun and made our job more fun too!
Boston DP Russ Jaquith films from top of The Lenox Hotel

After getting some nice footage of the finish line we went back to the Fairmont Copley because there were still some interviews we wanted to do. I really wanted an interview with Joan Benoit Samuelson since she has actually been an inspiration to Catherine! I was finally able to grab a quick interview with her and that was really important to me especially since she had such a busy schedule all week! I also did a follow up interview with Jacqueline Gareau who was the official winner of the 1980 Boston Marathon and was only recognized after Rosie Ruiz was exposed as a fraud for jumping into the race with only one mile to go; another amazing lady at 57 years old who ran today on the 30th anniversary of her win!

We wrapped up late and headed over to the John Hancock post race party where the elite athletes, John Hancock employees and other race officials were. There were some nice speeches on behalf of John Hancock's 25th anniversary of sponsoring the Boston Marathon and all of the athletes were introduced. It was quite a gathering of impressive talent! Afterwards, the athletes were taken to a different party on the same floor; this was a party for all of the great volunteers who work so hard to help out with the marathon. The athletes were introduced one by one and a few of them spoke to the volunteers including the winners and American's Ryan Hall (4th) and Meb Keflezighi (5th) . I am always amazed when Catherine gives an impromptu speech; she always sounds so eloquent and thanked the sponsors, the BAA and especially all of the volunteers. Just having Catherine there and being asked to speak spoke volumes about her place in the history of the Boston Marathon. When that part was finished it was late and Lisa, Helen and Catherine wanted to get back to the hotel. It took about a half hour just to say goodbyes because people kept coming up and asking to have their photo taken with Catherine and she was all too happy to pose with them.

Catherine poses for photos with fans at the John Hancock post race party

Helen grabs a photo with 4th place American Ryan Hall

By the time I got back to my hotel, I was exhausted; (I can't complain about how much my feet hurt because I didn't run the marathon so I won't!) I wanted to make sure I was packed before hitting the bed so I wouldn't have to get up extra early :) I was up at 7 in order finish packing and meet my college friend, Robin, for breakfast. It was fun to get to see her again!

I wanted to start my drive back to Philly between 11 and noon but was waiting to hear from Lisa first because with so many flights routing through London being canceled I knew there was a chance Catherine and Moses would need a ride back to Philly. Sure enough, the flight they were scheduled on back to Kenya was canceled. So, I ended up having company for the ride back! I do feel badly for them though; they were planning on heading home to Kenya. It was nice not driving alone though! We made great time and fortunately did not hit any traffic at all! We made the drive in just over 5 1/2 hours. As much as I love having Catherine here, I hope she is able to get a flight in the next day or two; Jane Murage (see previous blog entries or the trailer) is getting married on Saturday and Catherine is the maid of honor; I know she is extremely anxious to get back in time so as not to disappoint Jane.

Overall, the Boston week was an amazing experience! It was nice to meet many of the people I've spoken to on the phone or emailed with, I met athletes of all ages and abilities, saw some college friends I hadn't seen in years and got great material for WinCatherine! The Lenox Hotel made the experience even better; they were so accommodating, friendly and couldn't do enough for us. The people at John Hancock were also amazing and were extremely supportive!

Now it is back to work in the office and time to do more fundraising; we need to get all this footage logged in but need to raise enough money to get it done! Please remind your friends and any companies you know that can help with donations or sponsorships and ask them to go to www.wincatherine.com/donate.html to contribute to this film! Thank you!

Boston Marathon Race Day: April 19, 2010

2010-04-19T08:52:00.000-04:00

It is a gorgeous, sunny day in Boston for the marathon today! Catherine and Joan Benoit Samuelson arranged to meet early this morning in the lobby of the hotel to go for a run! If Catherine isn't able to run the marathon today, this is the perfect alternate; to capture her on an easy training run with one of her role models! I'll hopefully have some photos to post in the near future!

The Day Before Boston

2010-04-18T23:36:00.011-04:00

artwork on display in celebration of the 2500th anniversary of the creation of "the marathon"

Today there was a lot of activity on Boylston Street as there were various races going on (for kids, past winners, BAA athletes) and it was great to get an idea of how things will look tomorrow. The weather has not been optimal; it has been rainy since Friday but we were fortunate that it was beautiful for the day at Hopkinton and it is supposed to be nice tomorrow! We headed over to the expo to film some of the crowds there and at one point saw SUN so we ran back to the Lenox, grabbed some gear and the car and headed out onto the course to get some shots; I wanted to get some footage of Heartbreak Hill and some Boston scenery. When we got out there we found out that a race was in progress in Newton; it was an annual relay taking place where kids of all ages did a loop around Heartbreak Hill, then adults and the event wraps up with a family run/walk. We waited for the event to wrap up and then were able to get out and film the stretch known as Heartbreak Hill.
statue of John Kelly at the start of Heartbreak Hill

The sun didn't last for long periods of time; it rained then the sun came out then it would rain again. At one point it even hailed! We were patient though and continued on to get some nice shots of the Boston landscape and skyline.

Russ took me to an amazing, "off the radar" spot and to shoot the Boston skyline and it eventually did clear up enough for us to get what we needed. We filmed until the sun was almost down and then we headed back.

When I arrived in Boston and got together with Helen and Catherine the first day, Helen asked me if I would polish Catherine's nails at some point and I promised I would. Last night after the Fenway Park event, I said I would do it Sunday night so I called Catherine to arrange it. Since Russ and I had just gotten back from shooting, we still needed to download all the footage and log it in so I invited Lisa, Catherine and Helen to come to my room at the Lenox and I would do nails! (Catherine and Helen were staying at the athletes village at the John Hancock Convention Center and Lisa was at the Fairmont Copley). The girls had their own nail polish but no nail polish remover and asked if I had any. That's not something I usually travel with but I remember reading some of the booklets in my room; you know, the ones the hotel has on the desk with menus etc.. I've seen hotels have a notice in the room stating if you've forgotten anything to contact the desk to see if they may have it but I'd never seen a notice like the one in my room here at the Lenox so it stood out in my mind. It had a huge list of items that people may forget or want and said if you need something to call the front desk. I figured what the heck; maybe they had some nail polish remover? I called down and sure enough, they said they'd send it right up! I offered to come down to get it but they insisted on having someone bring it up. It was pretty cool and I know this sounds silly but both Catherine and I commented on how great these little remover pads were; no smell and no mess!

Anyway, I digress! I kept my promise and turned my room into a mini nail salon; Helen decided she wanted her nails done as well so I polished hers with a pretty copper she had and Catherine wanted red to match her toes. I'm always amazed at Helen because even though she is blind, she always comments on how nice things "look" and how pretty things are. She truly is an amazing person!

It was fun to see Catherine have some "girl time" (and now I also know what my backup career can be should I ever need it!) It was already 10pm and everyone was tired but Lisa warned the girls not to go to bed too soon or else they would ruin their manicures. It was cute when Catherine showed everyone how she would sleep so as not to ruin her nails; (picture how a person imitates a bunny hopping; elbows bent and wrists flopped down). Ok, I think I'll stop here; it's late and I must be getting punchy! Tomorrow is a big day!

RunBlogRun Posts Interview about WinCatherine

2010-04-18T21:39:00.000-04:00

Larry Eder at RunBlogRun posted an interview he did with me and also calls on the running community to help support the film by making a donation! Thanks to Larry, RunBlogRun and to all the runners in advance for helping get WinCatherine made! You can read the article here.

Boston Race Week

2010-04-17T23:59:00.001-04:00

This is the first time I’ve had to write a blog entry since arriving in Boston. I decided it was best to drive up so left around 9:30 on Wednesday morning and made great time; I got into Newton by 3pm and that included stopping a few times along the way. I needed to pick up some digital storage cards for the camera we would be using during the week. After picking up the cards I had to stop at the John Hancock convention center which is where the elite athletes stay. Since Lisa, Catherine and Moses were flying up, and since both Catherine and Moses will return to Kenya from Boston, I said I would transport their additional baggage in my car so they wouldn’t have to pay the airline “per bag” charge so I wanted to drop the bags off for them. It was a very short distance to my hotel and I was still checked into The Lenox Hotel by 4pm! The room is really lovely and the sales/marketing manager, Scott, made sure to reserve the room with the absolute BEST view of the Boston Marathon Finish line for me! The view looks down Boylston Street and although the actual finish line graphics weren’t painted on yet, you could see the faded line that is always there throughout the year. I could also watch as the crews down below setting up the bleachers.

I decided to take a little walk to see how long it would take to get to the Fairmont Copley Plaza which is where many of the media events will be held.

The weather was perfect; a little breezy and fairly close to 70 degrees! I returned from my excursion just in time to hear from my good friend Richard from my Boston University days. He had just attended his daughter’s school play and was heading in to pick me up. I was excited to see him because it had been almost 13 years since the last time I saw him! He picked me up and drove me around some old haunts of ours including the BU campus and the apartment where we used to live with some other people. I didn’t have the guts to go up and knock on the door to see who lives there now! After driving around a bit more he took me out to the suburb where he lives and I got to see Laurie, his wife and his daughter Samantha. (His other daughter was away at college). They have an adorable, tiny yorkie named Chloe and it was fun to play with her! After visiting for a bit we headed back into the city and Richard took me to his favorite restaurant there. It was excellent and it was fun to just sit and talk and reminisce about our BU days. Finally it got pretty late and since I had such a long day coming up I needed to get some sleep.

I got back to the hotel and into bed as quickly as possible because I was exhausted from the long drive. It was only 12:30am but I knew I’d have no problem falling asleep. No sooner had I dozed off then I heard a text message. It was 1:30am when I finally looked at that text and read that my cinematographer was still in LA! It turns out there was a fire on the plane and the flight had been delayed. He said they hoped to be into Boston by 7:30 am; I was nervous because we were scheduled to be at a location an hour away at 7:30 am! Needless to say, I didn’t get much sleep that night worrying about whether or not we would make it!

Instead of getting up at 5:30am, I got up at 6:30 and waited to hear news of the flight. Finally, at 7:30am I heard from Russ that his flight was in. I knew he still had to deplane, get his bags, take a cab to his brother’s place and pack some gear before getting to me so I made the decision to leave without him and just meet him in Hopkinton which was about a 50 minute drive. I did not want to be late! It turned out to be the right move because I got there just after Catherine and the other athletes did.

Hopkinton is the starting point of the Boston Marathon and each year the Elmwood School in Hopkinton hosts a program called Adopt-A-Marathoner. The short version is that the elite Kenyan athletes participating in the marathon come to the school and talk to the children. The students spend the month leading up to this day learning about Kenya and by the time the day arrives they are so excited! I was so excited for the event because I know how much Catherine loves kids and you can see her light up when she is around them. As much as the children get out of this program I know Catherine gets just as much. The athletes are announced just like a team of professional athletes at the biggest playoff game of the year; dried ice fills the entrance, spot lights swirl around the gymnasium and an announcer with a booming voice introduces each athlete by mentioning their name and major accomplishments. The athlete then dances out of the entrance with arms raised in the air and then makes a circle around a designated area and all the while the kids hi-five them. The atmosphere is electric! It’s an awesome program that the kids look forward to each year and never forget. The Elmwood school is just for second and third graders and the third graders actually experience the athletes in their classroom as well as in the gym for the big event! After the main event, a class of students does a short two lap run with the athletes around the circle in front of the school. It was great to film this event and to talk to a few of the older students from the track team that were invited back to participate.

After interviewing the principal, Ilene Silver, Russ and I headed out to film the starting line of the race. Unfortunately, we were scheduled to shoot more exterior shots today but since Russ’s flight was delayed the plan had to change. It was rush hour now and there where awful shadows across the road so we had to wait for them to go away! We finally got our shots and then headed back into Boston. We stopped at a tiny Thai restaurant in Brookline on the way back and it was really good! It was a long day but we got some great footage at the Elmwood School!

On Friday we stopped at the Fairmont Copley Plaza to pick up our press credentials then attended the elite athlete press conference. It was short and sweet and then the elite athletes broke out to table to field questions from reporters. I interviewed Denise Robson, a single mother of three who after a divorce went for a run with some co-workers and is now among the elite masters runners. She was really cool and her outlook and attitude were amazing! I also interviewed legendary runner Bill Rodgers who won four Boston Marathons and four NYC Marathons!

After the press conference, we went to the ribbon cutting opening the Expo and then called it a day so Russ could go back to where he’s staying and get the data downloaded from the camera and backed up! I met with another college friend for dinner and got to meet her husband and 3 year old son. I stayed out later than I wanted to but it was fun!

Saturday was a rainy, chilly day in Boston. First on tap was a breakfast organized to recognize past winners of the Boston Marathon. I interviewed two ladies who were both past winners and both had interesting things to say.

(Lisa Rainsberger)

I also spoke to a woman who was the winner of the Boston Marathon in Iraq! Afterwards I interviewed a former director of the Boston Marathon

Tim Kilduff

and then filmed Catherine speaking on a panel at the Expo.

(L: Helen Cherono R: Catherine Ndereba)

I learned during the day that Lisa had an extra spot available for the Red Sox game where some of the past winners were going to throw out the first pitch. We had dinner in the Players Club and it was sponsored by John Hancock. They have a program where employees can get help training for the Boston Marathon either in person, or for those who don’t live in Boston, they get the same training via the web. Catherine and a few other athletes were invited to mingle with these runners as well as do the first pitch. Unfortunately, the Red Sox game last night was called due to rain and it was tied 1-1 in the bottom of the 9th inning when that happened. They had to finish the game tonight and it was already the 12th inning when we were told we wouldn’t be staying. It had gotten too late and we learned it would be at least 45 minutes between the end of the current game (which no one knew how long it would go) and the start of the second game. The directors didn’t want the athletes to be out too late so we went “home”. It was raining and cold anyway! I was exhausted but determined to get a blog entry written!

Catherine Ndereba responds to her fans!

2010-04-13T21:15:00.002-04:00

Catherine responds to all the prayers and well-wishes from her fans posting on Facebook and the blog here!

Catherine speaks to the fans

Mokimo Monday before Boston Marathon Monday!

2010-04-13T14:10:00.001-04:00

Last night I had dinner again with Catherine Ndereba. When we were at the mall on Saturday, Catherine invited me to come back to the house for some Mokimo but I was busy that night so she asked me to come on Monday. I officially dubbed the night "Mokimo Monday"! I always look forward to her mokimo. She says it is very easy to make but I can see it does take a lot of arm muscle! Picture a huge pot filled with extra thick mashed potatoes with other ingredients all mixed in and you can imagine how hard it is to stir smooth! She makes a stew to go along with it and that had beef, squash, tomatoes and other fresh vegetables in it. When you put it all together it is a delicious, nutritious meal! You can find photos of it from the last time she had me over for dinner on the blog post from 11/24/2009 here

Samuel Ndereba

Also at dinner was Catherine's brother, Samuel Ndereba,

Moses Kigen Kipkosgei (who is also running Boston Marathon next week) and Simon Ndirangu who is Lisa Buster's newest runner. It was a very late dinner, 9PM because they had such a full day going to the chiropractor, training and with Catherine and Moses packing for Boston and then their trip back to Kenya. As always, it was fun. I felt a bit left out at times though because my Swahili is not very good and there was a lot of talking going on that I could not understand! Simon offered to be my Swahili teacher so I may have to take him up on that at some point!

Moses Kigen Kipkosgei

Simon Ndirangu

Catherine is looking forward to being back in Boston and Moses is looking forward to running there. I asked Catherine if she gave Moses a lot of good tips and she had a twinkle in her eye when she said "of course" :-)

It was a nice diversion to spend some time with the runners. It's been a stressful week since Catherine's announcement. The BAA revoked my media credentials for the Boston Marathon saying they didn't feel I needed them now that Catherine was out. I had to write a letter of appeal letting them know that there is still a story and just like any other journalist, I have to deal with it and incorporate it. I still have interviews and events planned to film all week! Fortunately, they reinstated the credentials late yesterday and now I can focus on finalizing all of the arrangements. It will be a busy week but I'm looking forward to it! I haven't been in Boston in 12 years and am looking forward to not only filming with Catherine but to visiting some college friends!

I'm also looking forward to my stay at the Lenox Hotel and can't thank the great people there enough for partnering with WinCatherine and sponsoring my stay there while filming! The Lenox is located right AT the finish line of the Boston Marathon!

After tomorrow my posts should be from my room there and who knows, it could be overlooking that finish line!

Catherine Ndereba After Boston Announcement

2010-04-11T15:58:00.000-04:00

Those who aren't a fan on our Facebook site WinCatherine Facebook Fan Page would have missed my post yesterday. It was a gorgeous day outside of Philadelphia and I was thinking about Catherine and how she must be feeling. I thought to myself, what does Catherine really love to do (besides running)? I realized I knew what to do so I called her at 11:30am and said "what are you doing today"? She replied "well, I'm going to the mall" and I said "well, I was just calling to ask you if you wanted me to take you to the mall"! I hadn't had a chance to see her since she got back and thought it would be a good day to catch up and I know how much she loves to shop; even if she's not buying she loves to walk around and look. So I picked her up and took her to the mall and we had a nice chat in the car. At the mall, she went about her shopping and I found a nice WiFi spot and caught up on some work, posted on the Facebook page (which if you aren't a fan you wouldn't have known!) and spent some time outside in the beautiful weather.

When Catherine returned 4 1/2 hours later I decided to read her some of the comments, prayers and wishes that everyone has been posting for her both on the blog and on Facebook. She was genuinely touched by everyone reaching out to her and I told her it would mean a lot to her fans if I could record her responses and post them online. She was all too pleased to do so and to be able to thank everyone directly so I stopped reading and when we got back to her house I filmed her as I read each and every post. She was so humbled by them all! I also asked her about her feelings on having to pull out of Boston and some other questions that people are wondering about so I am in the middle of downloading the material and as soon as I put it together I will post it online so you can all see it!

4/10/2010 Catherine Ndereba on the way to the Mall

Catherine's attitude towards this whole turn of events has only proven to me once again what a classy, humble lady she really is. Wait until you hear her outlook! I will get it up soon!

Sad to report: Catherine Ndereba has withdrawn from the Boston Marathon

2010-04-09T12:46:00.000-04:00

Someone very recently asked me what my biggest disappointment was since beginning to work on WinCatherine: The Story of Wincatherine Nyambura Ndereba and at the time (only days ago) said that not raising the funds more quickly was the biggest disappointment; Until today. Today I can honestly say is the biggest disappointment so far; today is the day I learned that Catherine will not be able to run the Boston Marathon on April 19th. She has an injury to the Piriformis Muscle which connects the sacrum to the upper portion of the femur. (If you look on Wikipedia you’ll see that the muscle almost rests against the tailbone) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piriformis_muscle She got the word from her doctor that he does not recommend she run Boston; he fears that due to the hilly nature of the Boston course she will aggravate the injury to the point where she may possibly do irreparable damage or face an even longer recovery time. For a 38 year old runner, that just isn’t an option. I just spoke with her doctor and he feels that the recovery should take anywhere from 4-6 weeks and that she will be able to do light running sooner.

I am so disappointed for Catherine; I can only imagine what it is like to train for something for so long only to have to withdraw due to injury. I wanted to meet with Catherine and interview her on camera but she was not ready for that. I wanted to capture her emotions at the time but I will talk to her about it on camera at another time. I know it will be important for me to discuss it with her on camera because I know a lot of athletes out there can relate to having an untimely injury. What she did say is that “it is quite frustrating; when you do a marathon you want to do your best” and she says she has missed a lot of speed work due to the injury. She was hoping to be cleared to run but when she got the news, she and her manager, Lisa, discussed everything and they both agree that it is not worth the risk. This comes as a big surprise as most people know that Catherine rarely is injured badly enough to miss a race. Sure, she’s had minor injuries but nothing that has caused her to withdraw from a major marathon event. She said she hasn’t been able to train properly since March 8th; which was a few weeks before she went to Portugal for the Lisbon Marathon. I know Catherine has a very high tolerance for pain so I wonder if that tolerance allowed her to go on longer than someone without such a high tolerance would have. She has been able to do light runs, but when she tries to speed up she can’t and long runs are out as well. Catherine has always talked openly about listening to her body and that being a crucial part of her success so this was a decision I am sure she did not take lightly!

So just as Catherine will have to adjust her training schedule due to this unexpected event, I will adjust as well. I am experiencing disappointment on a different level because I have been planning to film her in Boston and all the time and preparations that go along with that. But, that is what makes documentary interesting; you have to go with the flow so I am re-grouping and continuing to plan a great week of shooting. I have a lot of good interviews lined up so I’m looking forward to it. The good news is that Catherine may still attend the Boston Marathon and race week as a spectator!

Catherine really put things into perspective, as she always does. She said: “Boston is every year; always next year”

Back in the USA

2010-03-30T17:03:00.003-04:00

It is a cold, dreary, windy and very rainy day so I figured it would be a good day to catch Catherine at her home away from home in Norristown, PA. She arrived in the US last Friday after an exhausting week. Having just arrived home in Kenya on Tuesday the 23rd after the Lisbon Half Marathon, she had to turn around on Thursday and head to Philadelphia four days earlier than expected due to the impending British Airways strike. She arrived exhausted on Friday so I didn't want to call her then. I was away for the weekend and knew she would be busy catching up on chiropractor and massage appointments! So as I sat at my desk staring at the pouring rain, I decided to welcome her back. The first time I called, she was speaking to her friend Helen so I waited a few hours to call back. I gave them plenty of time because I know how the two of them can chat away especially without the time difference and being that Helen is in Maryland, they can now talk for free! When I called back she recognized the caller ID and picked up the phone with "Hello Stef".

It was fun catching up and we talked about everything it seemed today! We talked about how quickly our kids are growing up; her daughter, Jane, will turn 13 in a few weeks while my oldest will graduate college just four days after that! Catherine recalled seeing photos of my children on Lisa's refrigerator when she first came to the United States in 1995. That was before she had Jane and my kids were only 4 & 7. We were just two mothers chatting about how time flies and how when we are young we only want to be older, and when we get older, we don't want to get any older! We talked about the rainy weather and how it prevented her from training today. She said she was bored and wished she could go to the mall. She invited me over for mokimo (you may recall seeing the photos from the last time she invited me back in November before Yokohama) and I was seriously thinking of blowing off the rest of the day and taking her to the mall, finding a WiFi spot and working from there. I was even willing to brave the weather and was excited because she promised to show me how to make the mokimo. Then it dawned on me. Sure, I could blow off work. I could go out in the rain. I could even find a WiFi spot and work remotely. But, my bubble burst when I remembered, oh yeah, I woke up with a sore throat and nasty cold and there was no way I was going to put myself anywhere near Catherine and risk her getting a cold! So, here I am back at work and she is still at home not wanting to swim her training today!

We talked about her race this weekend at the Crescent City Classic 10k in New Orleans and she said it had been 13 years since she has run there. She came to the US to train for the first time in 1995! It sounds like such a long time ago yet seems like just yesterday!

We talked about Boston and I was disappointed to learn that she will return home to Kenya after the marathon but she will be the maid of honor at her friend Jane Murage's wedding on April 24th so must get back. Jane even changed her wedding date in order to allow Catherine to be in the wedding because her original date conflicted with the Boston Marathon! You may recall Jane from the fundraising trailer; she also trains under Lisa Buster. She has been directly influenced and inspired by Catherine so it was very important to her that Catherine be at the wedding.

After 45 minutes I finally wished her a safe trip to New Orleans and she promised that when she gets back, and before she leaves for Boston, that we will go shopping and get the fresh ingredients needed for her to teach me how to make her famous mokimo!

WinCatherine on Rick's Running...

2010-03-18T18:11:00.000-04:00

Rick's Running picked up the trailer today! His site is pretty cool; you can follow his journey to the 2010 London Marathon and his quest to run 2:45 here Rick's Running

Eliterunning.com writes about WinCatherine

2010-03-18T15:32:00.000-04:00

I was very excited this morning to find an email from Bridget Montgomery, the editor of eliterunning.com letting me know that she became aware of WinCatherine: The Story of WinCatherine Nyambura Ndereba and had posted an article about it on their site letting the running community know how they can support the film! You can read the awesome post here: eliterunning.com post

Eliterunning.com focuses on women's elite distance running so I am thrilled that her post will reach such a targeted audience!

I want to thank everyone who has been helping to promote the film! It's really amazing when a donation comes in from someone I don't personally know; no matter what the amount is, these are people who care enough to do what they can to help insure that the film will get finished and I truly appreciate it! If you haven't donated yet because you feel it won't be enough to help, please know that every bit helps!

I'm looking forward to talking to Catherine after Lisbon to see how her run was and how she's feeling for Boston!

Catherine Ndereba heads to Lisbon & WinCatherine getting noticed!

2010-03-16T12:41:00.002-04:00

I can't believe how quickly the time is flying. It seems just yesterday that I was posting Catherine had started her spring marathon training! Now here we are already at the warm up race before the Boston Marathon! Catherine will run the Lisbon Half Marathon this weekend. She left today for the Sunday race so there should be plenty of time to adjust to the long flight and time change. Before I know it, she will be back here in Pennsylvania training! I surely hope we are finished with the snow for this year; I would hate to see Catherine turn around and run away from that!

Some good new about the film! We are starting to get recognized by blogs around the web and HOPEFULLY this will turn into donations so we can get back to editing! Check out these blog posts on WinCatherine.

RunBlogRun is a running blog by Larry Eder who is no stranger to writing about Athletics! (His other site, www.runningnetwork.com is a very popular and informative site as well) He posted a great piece asking the running community to help support the film; please check it out here: RunBlogRun article

RunTri.com is a cool site whose mission is to: "Inspire you to envision, strive for and achieve success that once seemed impossible"; they are a "non-profit resource providing practical training and racing advice to athletes with realistic priorities: Families, friends and work come first; Then, Be Epic." Read the article on WinCatherine and check out the site here: RunTri.com post

Yet another example of how quickly time is flying: it has been almost a year since we left for London and Kenya to film with Catherine! Since returning in June, the goal has been to raise the budget so we can take all the wonderful footage we shot and start to edit it. I never in a million years expected it would be so difficult to raise money for such a great project! I try to stay positive though and know that eventually I will contact the right people and organizations to get the film funded and back on its way! Please, if you can donate even a little, every bit helps (and if you need a tax deduction for your donation, we have a way you can do that too!) Also, if you or your company would like to be a part of this film, please contact us directly at info@sparklinblueproductions.com. We have sponsorships available at all levels! Click here to DONATE NOW!

Update on Catherine Ndereba's schedule and....

2010-03-08T11:53:00.003-05:00

Well, it looks like Catherine will not return to the US until the very end of the month. I wonder if the c-c-c-cold weather and snow had anything to do with her decision on where to run a warm up half marathon this year! She will be running in Lisbon on March 21st, the same day as the NYC Half Marathon that she has been so successful at in past years. Hopefully the weather in Lisbon will be a bit warmer than NY!

Meanwhile, another Ndereba will be in NYC for the Half Marathon! Catherine's younger brother, Samuel, will be running this year! You may be able to pick Samuel out in a crowd if you know Catherine; there is a VERY strong family resemblance between the two!

Catherine Ndereba (left) and brother Samuel Ndereba (right) flank Ryan Hall

Philadelphia Distance Run 2009

(In fact, if you've ever gone through the photos here and on our website www.wincatherine.com you'll notice a strong family resemblance among many of the Ndereba siblings!) Also running in the NYC Half Marathon this year are two other athletes from the Lisa Buster camp that train with Catherine in the US; Irene Limika and Moses Kigen Kipkosgei.

That is a popular weekend for races. It also happens to be the same weekend as a new event in Philadelphia this year: "World Water Day" 5k Run/Walk-A-Thon which benefits KSM whose mission is to provide clean drinking water to the Rift Valley area in Kenya. You can check out that event here: http://ksmministries.com/ . We wish them the best of luck with this inaugural event for such a great cause!

Now a word about something I don't post about here very often. We are really struggling for donations to get WinCatherine completed. Even though we've shot a lot of footage, we are still a long way from being finished. We still have a LOT of film to edit and do not have the funds to put our editor back to work! Now we are planning to film Catherine in Boston for the Boston Marathon and need to raise some money very quickly in order to pay for that shoot. PLEASE consider a donation, no matter how small! You can donate via our website for a tax deduction at www.wincatherine.com/donate.html or if the tax deduction is not important to you, please donate directly to the film (we keep the entire amount of direct donations)

WinCatherine

c/o Sparklinblue Productions

533 Dogwood Drive

Maple Glen, PA 19002

If you can't help at this time, please suggest to others who may be able to!

Thank you for your help!

Checking in with Catherine 2/27/2010

2010-03-01T14:28:00.000-05:00

I wanted to check in with Catherine to see how training was going for Boston and just to see how she was doing in general. I spoke to her Saturday evening after she had a good speed workout earlier in the day. I can always tell when she is relaxed and in good spirits because she laughs quite frequently! There are times when I call her and she has just finished a workout and has visitors arriving, or has to get ready for one of the many committments she has to attend and there is definitely a difference in her voice. Those are the times when she is in "work mode" and just like most of us when we are working, we are more concentrated and "on". I love catching Catherine when she has time to relax and be at ease; it's like chatting with a girflriend at a slumber party! She admits to relishing the moments when she is able to take time for herself; she maintains an extremely busy schedule.

Catherine in her "garden" at her home outside Nairobi

She told me that it has been raining and I always joke with her that when it is raining it is great for her garden but not for training. I could visualize her face lighting up as she told me how well her crops are doing and especially the maize which she loves to use for cooking. She laughed when she told me she had "corn on the cob" for dinner that night! I asked her if when she is back in Norristown to train this year if she would give me some cooking lessons; I want to learn how to make some of the great Kenyan and Kikuyu dishes that use tons of fresh vegetables, beans and meats! She agreed and told me I would need to pay her; a big check; one with six figures and then she giggled for a bit. It was so cute! I told her I would pay her with hugs and she readily agreed! (if you scroll back to the November post before she left for Yokohama you will see photos of Catherine cooking her favorite dish, Mokimo, and all the fresh vegetables used! You'll also see photos of her relaxed and laughing which is exactly how I pictured her as she told me I would need to pay for her cooking lessons!)

After chatting for a bit more, I had to ask Catherine about the upcoming Boston Marathon. I know she has done several phone interviews already and I asked if she gets a lot of the same questions before each race: what does it mean to be back in , how is your training going, etc. Knowing that she has been aware of the enormous amount of snow we have been having this winter (her manager, Lisa, told me if Catherine sees any of the photos of the snow she may never come back!) and wanting to keep things light today, I simply asked her what her ideal weather for Boston would be. Here is her response:

"I don't want it cold, like freezing cold, and I don't want it extremely hot. Like back in 2004 it was hot and humid and I was full of cramps" She said "45 degrees (Farenheit) up to about 72 would be fine." I told her I would place my order immediately!

Catherine Ndereba to return to Boston Marathon

2010-02-10T10:04:00.002-05:00

Boston 2005-Photo courtesy BAA

Catherine Ndereba will once again return to Boston to run the Boston Marathon on April 19, 2010. According to the John Hancock press release this morning “”Catherine the Great” needs no reintroduction to Boston as she has written the history books here as the only woman to ever win four times.”

2000 Photo courtesy BAA

It has been 5 years since her fourth title in Boston and I asked her if she is looking forward to running there again. She said it is a very tough course but she enjoys running there. She hopes it won’t be too cold! (In my opinion, she seems to do quite well regardless of how hot or cold it is! Her world record was set in Chicago when the starting temperature at race time was less than 40 degrees and her win in Osaka it was over 90 degrees!)

I’m exited that she’ll be running Boston because I went to Boston U and have only been back once since then so it will be nice to visit with friends while following Catherine. :)

The additional elite women’s field that was announced this morning includes last year’s winner Salina Kosgei (KEN), 2008 winner Dire Tune (ETH) and former winner Lidiya Grigoryeva (RUS). On the men’s side, Deriba Merga (ETH) and Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot will both be back. Merga stopped Cheruiyot’s three-in-a-row streak when he won last year.

2001 Photo courtesy BAA

Catherine still hasn't decided which warm up half marathon she will run so I also don't know yet when she will return to her training home away from home in Norristown, PA. Right now, she is better off in the warm climate of Kenya during their summer than she would be here outside Philadelphia where we are experiencing the second snowstorm in a week to produce over 20" of snow! Stay warm, Catherine!

2004 Photo courtesy BAA

Photo courtesy BAA

Prisons Cross Country Championships

2010-02-01T14:05:00.000-05:00

The Kenya Prisons Cross Country cometition was held over the weekend in Ruiru which is just outside of Nairobi. It was held at the Prisons Staff Training College which is where all employees of the Prisons go to school and learn their jobs. (It also happens to be where Catherine met her husband, Anthony, and where her sister was when we filmed there last year. But that's getting off track!) Before the race I read several articles online that mentioned that Catherine was competing for this or that, one of those being the senior title. It was refreshing however to read today that at least one article got it right as to Catherine's intentions in the race. I know they got it right because I spoke to her last night after the race as she was relaxing with Anthony watching some news before going to sleep. The truth is, Catherine (as with many other elite athletes) does not run every race to win. When she is training for a big marathon, each race leading up to that has a purpose in her training plan. When I spoke with her she was very content with the run, especially given the fact that she has been fighting a nasty cold. (When we filmed her training run in Kenya, she was also battling a cold). I know how hard it is to breathe with a cold without having to run, so I certainly can't imagine how it feels to run any distance with one! But this is something that athletes deal with all the time. Regardless of the cold or that she still came in 12th overall, Catherine was at the race as much to support her Prisons team as to get in a good training run!

As always, she spoke eloquently during her post race interviews and you can read what she had to say here (about half way down the page): post race interview with Catherine Ndereba

By the way, stay tuned for an announcement once Catherine signs paperwork for a spring marathon!

Catherine Ndereba Chief Guest at Awards Gala

2010-01-28T17:18:00.000-05:00

Yet another example of Catherine's appeal to the youth; she was the Chief Guest at The Annual Sports and Clubs Awards at Strathmore University in Nairobi last Friday more...
Lucky students! Also great for Catherine because she thrives on encouraging students of all ages; if she weren't a professional athlete she would have been a teacher and I'm sure as great a teacher as she is a runner!

2010 Training Begins

2010-01-14T11:34:00.000-05:00

I finally spoke with Catherine; I hadn't spoken to her since the New Year because I knew how busy she was with the holidays. She reported that she enjoyed Christmas and was even able to spend time with Anthony after fulfilling her official Olympic Committee duties of receiving the Queen's Relay Baton at the airport in Nairobi. The trip to Mombasa to pass the Baton on to the President was only a day trip so she was back that evening. Even though she wasn't able to spend Christmas with her whole family as she usually does, she said she was able to see some family for New Years Eve and had a nice New Year!

I asked her about the football tournament she sponsored in Nyeri and she was very happy that the tournament was going well and that she would be appearing at the finals to watch and present the winner with a trophy!

I then asked how her running was going and how she is feeling and she is feeling great and reports that she just received her training program from her coach, Mostafa Nechchadi and that now it is time to get back to "serious" training! She always runs, but when she is not in training for a specific marathon she trains much easier and runs to stay fit and keep her body healthy. Now that we are approaching spring (and I know many of us can't wait for the cold to let up!), she will begin following her designated program to get ready for a spring marathon. Hopefully I'll be able to post just where she may be running soon!

So things are good back in Kenya with Catherine. Her daughter is back at boarding school and she is very happy to have her adorable (and I mean ADORABLE) neice, Ruth, back at her house while her sister, Anastasia, trains for her post as a prison guard. It is very sad for the children of women who take jobs with the prisons, police or military because they have to go off to college and train for six to nine months and then they have to be posted at a location where they continue their job training. During this time they rarely see their family and if they have young children it can be very difficult.

Ruth & Anastasia get some rare time togther at the Prison
Championships last May

Since Ruth's preschool is near Catherine's home, it is better for the child to stay with her while Anastasia is working several hours away. Like Catherine, Anastasia is a runner and being employed by the prisons will give her the opportunity to earn a living as well as run just as it does for her sister and other athletes in Kenya. Many people take for granted the time they are able to spend with their children but there are some places where the sacrifice is great for being able to have a career. You will see evidence of this with Catherine and her daughter Jane in the film when it is finished.

When I spoke to Catherine she was in great spirits and was sounding like a proud Aunt; she had just taken Ruth to her very first day of what she called "baby school" and she was describing how she took a photo of Ruth from her cell phone and had made it her new screen saver/background! I asked her to send me a copy but she didn't know how and hopefully Anthony will help her do it so I can see! (Ruth is now 2 1/2 yrs old)

Catherine & Ruth 5/2009

Stay tuned for a post on where Catherine's next marathon will be.......

What Kenyan Runners Wear

2010-01-09T13:42:00.000-05:00

Here's a fun blog entry from MessagefromMzungo

If you are moving through the highlands of Kenya and in particular the epicentre of long distance running, the Rift Valley Province, you quickly get familiar with the strong green and brown environment. The dirt roads and the beautiful scenery of trees and fields give the general impression of a naturally rich environment. Your eyes soon get used to the typical colours and shades of this extraordinary piece of nature.....read more here

Queen's Relay Baton passes through Kenya

2010-01-05T18:02:00.002-05:00

The Queen's Relay Baton was received in Kenya on Christmas Day in Nairobi and was then flown to Mombasa where President Kibaki officially received it. On hand to present the Baton was Catherine Ndereba as well as 10,000m Commonwealth Games champion Lucy Kabuu and National Olympic Committee of Kenya (Nock) Chairman Kipchoge Keino. You can read about it here: Queen's Relay Baton handed over

Photo courtesy The Standard

Christmas with Catherine Ndereba 2009

2009-12-23T16:19:00.001-05:00

Christmastime is a very important time for Catherine as she looks forward to spending time with her family. With such a large family and each member having many different responsibilities, it is very difficult to arrange for all 9 siblings along with their families to find time to be in one place as I learned while in Kenya trying to film them all together. And that is just referring to Catherine’s side of the family. Add to that Anthony’s side as well as the families of husbands and wives and you can see how difficult it is. Now factor in the roads and the travel time and it becomes even more of a challenge. Even so, it is a time when Catherine tries as hard as she can to bring as much of the family together as possible.

This year, however, will be entirely different. Catherine will not be spending Christmas with her parents or her siblings. She will not even be able to spend it with her daughter, Jane who will spend the holiday with Anthony’s parents. Catherine will spend Christmas day fulfilling a responsibility that comes with her appointment to NOC-K; National Olympic Committee of Kenya. The timing could not be worse but Catherine is a woman of integrity and she will honor her duty to the committee because that is the way she is. Even on the most holy of days, she will do what is required of her. You’re probably wondering what could be so important as to make her miss spending Christmas with her family. Well, as it turns out, it is quite important. Whether or not it is important enough to take anyone away from their family on Christmas is not my call.

On Christmas day, Catherine, along with other members of NOC-K, will be at the airport in Nairobi to receive the Queen’s Baton to continue the Queen’s Baton Relay 2010 leading up to the 2010 Commonwealth Games. Upon researching this journey, I’ve learned that it is very similar to the relay of the Olympic Torch. The Queen’s Baton Relay starts at BuckinghamPalace in London and is presented by the Queen to the carriers of the first leg of the relay. The baton carries a message from the Queen to the host country of the Commonwealth Games. This year The Relay began on October 29, 2009 and The Baton will pass through all 71 countries that participate in the Games before arriving at the site of the 2010 Games on June 25 in Delhi, India. The members of NOC-K receive the baton on Christmas day, and on Boxing Day take it to Mombassa where they will present it to the President of Kenya. The baton will arrive from Camaroon and from Kenya will head to Tanzania. The route The Baton takes is pretty amazing and you can actually follow it at this website: Queen's Baton Relay In addition to being able to view the route it takes, there is a small camera mounted in the end of The Baton and you can view actual video of the journey!

So it seems like this is a mixed blessing; it is very unfortunate that The Baton arrives in Kenya on a day that is so important to Catherine and many others, but it is also an honor to have been selected as a member of the Kenyan Olympic Committee and is also an honor to be part of the team that will carry this baton to its next destination. Catherine hopes to be able to spend some time with her family and parents before the New Year and before her daughter, Jane has to go back to school and Anthony resumes his evening school. I, too, hope she is able to get that time; she deserves it.

A rare occasion 5/29/2009 when 5 of the Ndereba siblings were together

pictured here (L-R):

Cyrus Ndereba, Anastasia Ndereba, Carolyn Ndereba, Esther Ndereba

4 of the 5 Ndereba sisters at the Prison's Championships 5/29/2009 Nairobi

pictured L-R: friend and athlete Jane Murage joins

Esther Ndereba, Caroline Ndereba, Catherine Ndereba, Anastasia Ndereba holding daughter Ruth

More info on the football tournament sponsored by Catherine Ndereba

2009-12-15T12:43:00.000-05:00

Catherine Ndereba & husband Anthony Muhia Maina during a vist to Karatina, Central Province Kenya

I was curious about this event that Catherine is sponsoring so I asked her about it. She provides uniforms and balls for the players. But I wanted to know even more so I spoke with her husband, Anthony, about it because he is one of the organizers. This is not the first year they have been involved with this tournament. The first year was three years ago but there was no tournament last year due to a tragedy; the man who was the on site organizer and coordinator was struck by a car and killed. Therefore the tournament was not held. This year Anthony is heavily involved in the organizing. I wanted to know why he and Catherine were involved with football. This is what Anthony had to say:

"The soccer tourny is all about bringing the youth together and encourage them to be involved in active livelihood. In Kenya today we are faced with stiff challenges of unemployment and therefore the young guys get involved in risky behavior. One of the ways of keeping them active both mentally and physically is through sports and that's why the tourny. The tourny will be done in play offs and the semis will be done on 27th Dec and Finals on the 3rd Jan 2010 at Miiri primary school.(Not very far from my parents place)"

I was not surprised when I heard his answer; whether it is running, football (soccer), basketball or baseball, involving young people in sports is so instrumental in keeping them out of trouble. It is not unlike in the United States where involving children and young adults helps keep them from joining gangs and going down the wrong path. I recalled an incident in Kenya, (in the same area where this football tournament will be held), back in April just before my crew and I arrived in Kenya for filming with Catherine. I'd heard that there was a clash near where Anthony grew up, and his parents still live, involving the Mungiki sect, known as Kenya's version of the Mafia. I was horrified and even worried whether or not it would be safe to travel there. You can read about the Mathira Massacre as it is known here: Mathira Massacre It is exactly this type of group that Catherine and Anthony hope to help young men avoid by involving them in sports.When young people have enough to fill their time they are less likely to go out looking for things to do which often results in poor choices being made!

Catherine Ndereba to Sponsor Football Tournament

2009-12-10T14:32:00.001-05:00

Catherine will be sponsoring a football tournament in Mathira East at the end of December. Please check back for more information coming soon!

WinCatherine Fundraising Trailer on the Big Screen!

2009-12-08T12:36:00.001-05:00

WinCatherine: The Story of Wincatherine Nyambura Ndereba will have its first big screen event this Thursday December 10th at The Ambler Theater Open Screen Night in Ambler, PA. It is only the fundraising trailer but it will still be exciting to see it in a real theater!

Here is what the theater says:

"The Ambler Theater is proud to support independent filmmakers in their quest to achieve recognition for their valuable contribution to our culture.
Each film will be briefly discussed by the audience and/or your peers."

I don't know how many films will be screened but each is limited to 10 minutes.

I hope people show up! Unfortunately, I just found out about the open night yesterday and learned today that they will screen WinCatherine. It will be a great experience!

For those able to attend:

The Ambler Theater

108 E. Butler Avenue

Ambler, PA 19002

www.amblertheater.org

Putting things into perspective

2009-12-07T16:15:00.000-05:00

Just a short post today; I really enjoyed this article from The Standard. No disrespect to Usain Bolt but I think the writer, Ted Malanda, makes a very good point here (click here)

Speaking Out

2009-12-04T16:20:00.000-05:00

I spoke with Catherine on Monday after she returned home from Nyeri and I asked her how the half marathon went. She said it went well but that she was very disappointed that the turnout this year was much smaller than in years past. She noted that there were several other races too close to this one which prevented many athletes from competing there. She was interviewed after the race and she called on AK (Athletics Kenya, the governing body for track and field in Kenya) to do something about spreading out the events so they don't occur so close to one another. I don't know that she expected the reply that came from AK head Isiah Kiplagat today (read article). I will be sure to ask her thoughts on that the next time I speak with her! I can't wait to see the footage our crew filmed there!

You can see some of her television interview here: (love her new hairdo!) Catherine Ndereba @ Nyeri Half Marathon

Nyeri Half Marathon-Nyeri Town, Kenya

2009-11-30T13:34:00.003-05:00

Only days after finally returning to her home outside of Nairobi, Catherine was off to her hometown of Nyeri with her husband, Anthony, and daughter, Jane to stand at the helm of the Nyeri Half Marathon. This is one race that she does not "run" as in compete; she "runs" it as in organizes the race with Anthony. This was the 13th year for the race and the event is held each year in the town near the village where she grew up and gives opportunity to runners that Catherine herself did not have when she was a young girl. It is a place where athletes can showcase their talents and possibly be noticed by one of the three organizations that employ athletes; the Prisons, Police and Armed Forces.

The race, however, is not limited to just locals, and athletes from all over come to participate.

Nyeri is located in the small Central Province of Kenya approximately 2 hours north of Nairobi. The course this year was more difficult than in past years and had more hills but despite the change, there were new course records set for both the men and women. Ernest Kebenei (photo) won the men's race in 1:01:31 and he hails from Uasin Gishu district, which is the Rift Valley Province where Eldoret is the district capital and the training home to many elite runners. It is in Western Kenya. Gladys Kerubo, the women's winner with the course record of 1:11:44, is from Kisii which is the district capital of the Nyanza Province in Southwestern Kenya. (Here is a good map of the Kenyan provinces map)

Catherine mentioned that two boys she sponsors, Paul (her nephew) and John, did very well. She helps them with their training in Ngong and also provides them with uniforms. The boys ran 1:05 and 1:15 for the half marathon distance. Catherine's brother, Samuel ran the race in support of Catherine but he did not finish as it was not part of his training schedule at the time.

I sent a Kenyan crew to film Catherine and Anthony out among the locals to capture them in action and see how they interact with the villagers and athletes, and I can't wait to see the footage! When I spoke to Catherine, she said the event went very well however she was disappointed that the Vice President, who was scheduled to be their special guest, had to cancel and did not send an official in his place. I have found that this is a common occurrence with Kenyan officials; they are often canceling appearances and sometimes send a replacement but other times do not.

When I spoke to Catherine today, she was back in her home outside of Nairobi and is looking forward to time at home with her family which includes nieces, nephews and siblings. Her sister, Esther, also just had a baby girl named Maryanne and I know Catherine will enjoy helping out with her newest niece as well!

Farewell for now dinner...11/12/09

2009-11-24T14:10:00.000-05:00

I really should have posted this a few weeks ago when it actually occured but I somehow missed it. I guess with all the postings on Facebook and twitter I neglected to post to the blog! Anyway, better late than never because I think everyone will enjoy some of these photos.

Three days before Catherine was to leave for Japan she invited me to dinner at the home where she lives while training in the United States several months each year (Norristown, PA). Most of the other athletes that normally share the house had already returned home to Kenya having finished their racing seasons before Catherine. There was only one other athlete still living in the house, Kellen. It was a great time for Catherine to spend some time with her best friend, Helen, who lives a few hours away in Maryland. They are extremely close (you may remember seeing Helen in some photos posted from our filming last year) and they used to train together. Helen is great; she's funny, smart and she and Catherine pray together almost every day and they can call each other any time even if it is in the middle of the night. They just don't get to spend much physcial time together because of the distance and Catherine's race schedules. Oh, and I forgot to mention, because Helen makes it so easy to forget, she is blind. You'd never know it though. She talks about "I have to see this" or "I loved the pictures; thanks for sending them" and she is an amazing person. She's also a very talented runner and has both bronze and silver medals in the Para-Olympics. Anyway, the point is not that she is blind, it is that she does not let it define who she is; similar to how Catherine did not let the village people define who she was as a young girl.

So, Catherine called me up to invite me and in order to entice me said she was making Mokimo; as if she needed to bribe me to come visit! Catherine's Mokimo is a real treat. It is her favorite meal and she doesn't make it very often while in the US so I was quite flattered to be invited! When I arrived, she and Helen were upstairs and when they came down, Catherine went to work making the preparations for the Mokimo.
Catherine prepping the Mokimo

only fresh ingredients

catching up with Helen

Making Mokimo the way Catherine likes it is hard work! It seemed like she mashed forever and her arm even got tired! (She said she's out of "Mokimo-making-shape" living in the US!)

I always have so much fun just hanging out with both Helen and Catherine; they are like two little giggly school girls! Don't get me wrong, I always enjoy being with Catherine but when the crew isn't around and we're not filming, there is a different level of relaxation and we all just revert into gigly schoolgirls. We had a blast and there were times that the two of them would slip into Swahili and Kellen and I would just watch them laughing and talking. I teased Catherine that we needed to take lots of photos for me to post on Facebook to tease her husband that the Mokimo was ready and make and waiting for him!

it's ready, come and get it!

yummy!

Catherine and I shared a story with Helen (that I won't go into) but it had to do with an "interesting" day of filming a few months ago back in Catherine's hometown and the laughter was just incredible! We all know the public Catherine and how graceful, poised and humble she is but I wanted to share a more personal side of Catherine with the world which is one of the reasons I am making the film WinCatherine! I hope you enjoy the photos!

L to R: Kellen, Helen, Catherine

Chiba International Ekiden 2009

2009-11-23T18:13:00.005-05:00

Earlier today, Catherine ran in the 2009 Chiba International Ekiden. Until I started learning about Catherine, I had never even heard of an Ekiden much less seen one! But, thanks once again to modern technology, I was able to watch the entire race last night live, online via my computer. Ok, I'll rephrase that because it really was not last night, it was very, very early this morning (the race ended around 1:30 am EST which was 3:30pm in Chiba). Regardless, it still fascinates me that I can watch live Japanese TV from my computer. Of course, I did not understand any of the commentating but every once in awhile I could distinguish "Ndereba" in the midst of all the Japanese!

For those of you who don't know what an Ekiden is, and for those who are just curious how this one went, an Ekiden is like a relay race. The entire race distance is broken down into segments and there are teams; each team member runs one leg of the race.

This race was marathon distance, was co-ed and there were 6 legs of the race; 1st was a 10k run by men, 2nd leg was women's 5k, 3rd leg another men's 10k, 4th leg a women's 5k, 5th leg men's 10k and then Catherine ran the anchor leg for Kenya which was a 7.195km leg. The Kenyan team came in third, Japan came in first with the Japanese Universities Team placing second.

I haven't spoken to Catherine directly yet but I'm fairly certain that she ran within what her body would allow after running a full marathon just one week ago. The main thing is that Catherine LOVES to run Ekidens! She loves the team part of it and she has fun! She also loves running in Japan!

If you'd like to read details about the race itself, here is a link to a good summary for those who are interested: http://www.iaaf.org/news/kind=100/newsid=54956.html

(these photos were all screen captures from my computer screen during the live telecast on Fuji TV, Japan)

The REAL Story on Catherine Ndereba's 2012 Olympic Ambitions

2009-11-17T14:44:00.001-05:00

I've been reading a lot of blog posts and online articles about Catherine's 2012 Olympic ambitions. Many of the comments just did not sound like anything Catherine would actually say: "Ndereba vows to be the oldest Olympic medalist at 40" or "Ndereba covets Gold....". These just aren't the type of statements that I could ever picture coming from Catherine so I set out to find the REAL answer.

It may not make for such exciting headlines as some of the others but it goes like this: Someone asked if Catherine planned on retiring soon. Her reply was that she plans on running through the next Olympics if her body stays healthy.

Now that sounds more like the Catherine I've gotten to know over the past fourteen years. I was surprised to see the word "covet" in relation to her; the only time I would ever expect to see that word in the same sentence as Catherine would be if it were in citing a bible passage. It's interesting how things get twisted around for the sake of good headlines. Fortunately, I don't claim to be a "writer" and mostly consider my writings here as thinking out loud.

(And for the record, when Catherine does run at the Olympics in 2012, she'll be 41!)

Post Yokohama Report

2009-11-17T10:40:00.002-05:00

I spoke with Lisa, Catherine's manager, last night. Ahhh, the wonders of the internet! We chatted briefly via facebook before she had to leave for the airport to fly back to Philadelphia. She has been traveling with all of her athletes on and off for the past six weeks and is very anxious to get back home! Catherine will remain in Japan with her coach, Mostafa and travel to Chiba for next weekend's Ekiden. Catherine's husband, Anthony, left Tuesday night (they are 14 hours ahead of where I am in Philadelphia, PA)

Since Catherine had not seen Anthony is many months, I did not want to call her and take up time she could be spending with hubby so I asked Lisa how Catherine was feeling and how she felt the race went. She said Catherine was extremely pleased with her run in Yokohama, especially since she had not been able to conduct her speed workouts in the weeks leading up to the race due to a nagging hip flexor problem. She was being treated for it by her amazing chiropractor (Dr. Johnny King-Marino) and through massage therapy but had to back off of the speed work. I am happy to report, however, that she was pain free throughout the race and feels great afterwards! Many people wonder, and many also ask if she is disappointed if she does not take first place in a marathon, but those who know her know that she is never disappointed as long as she runs well and is healthy. She is always happy for whoever wins and is content to know that whatever happens was Gods plan for that day. This is what attracted me to Catherine's story in the first place. She doesn't just "say" those words; she BELIEVES them and you can tell it is completely genuine! She also never uses excuses and has never dropped out of a race; she listens to her body and adjusts. Rather than look at her hip problem as the reason she did not take first place, she is pleased that she has recovered from a common problem among runners, was able to run well and pain free and still take third place. Not too shabby in my book! (notice I did not say she didn't "win", I said she did not "take first place" because first, second, third or 100th, she is still a winner in that same book of mine!)

Yokohama Women's Marathon results

2009-11-15T03:00:00.000-05:00

The internet never stops amazing me! Here I was, sitting in my Pennsylvania home, watching the Yokohama Women's Marathon LIVE online via a player called Keyholetv that allowed me to watch the Japanese TV Asahi, while chatting on Facebook with a friend from Chile and talking on the phone to a friend in PA and watching the Pittsburgh Panthers football game on the tv :) The resolution on the marathon online was not great, and I couldn't understand a word of the commentating, but what was important was that I could actually WATCH Catherine run a race on the other side of the world!

It was an exciting race and for most of it she ran in her usual spot at the back of the pack. It was nice just like Catherine said before going there; the women got all the attention because there were no men so I didn't have to worry that the coverage would focus on the men and not the women's race (which happens all too often!) When the pack broke up, Catherine ran in second behind the Russian Inga Abitova until Japan's Kiyoko Shimahara caught her near the end and Catherine took 3rd. It was great to watch Anthony out there at the finish give her a big hug as always! The photos are not that clear but you can see exactly what I saw on my screen!

Yokohama reunion

2009-11-13T17:46:00.003-05:00

Catherine, her manager Lisa Buster and her coach El Mostafa Nechchadi all arrived safely in Yokohama earlier in the week in order for Catherine to acclimate to the time zone. Today, her husband, Anthony arrived as he is always there to support her for a marathon. It always amazes me how dedicated he is to her career and what an important part of Catherine's success he has been! He left Kenya on Thursday, arriving in Japan on Friday evening. Before his body adjusts to the time difference, he will be back on a plane on Monday for the long trip back to Kenya. It's quite a long way to go for a weekend! But he would never have it any other way; he re-arranges his work schedule, he misses classes at the university where he is studying at night, and he drags his tired butt across the world because he WANTS to and he loves being Catherine's support. I have spoken with many elite athletes over the past year and there is a common theme whenever I ask what makes them successful and what is most important about being an accomplished athlete. Each and every one has stated that it is a strong support system that is key to their success. Catherine is fortunate to have a rock solid support system in Anthony, Lisa and Mostafa!

Good luck to all the participants on Sunday at the Yokohama Women's Marathon and Go Catherine!

Catherine Ndereba talks about the Bupa Great South Run, her upcoming fall marathon and Ekiden in Japan

2009-10-29T18:18:00.001-04:00

Today I spoke with Catherine from her training home in Norristown, PA about the race she just returned from, the upcoming Yokohama Women's Marathon (November 15, 2009) http://www.yokohamawomensmarathon.com/en/index.html and the 2009 Chiba International Ekiden (November 23, 2009)

Stefani: How did it go in Portsmouth? (at the Bupa Great South Run)

Catherine: Oh, it went great! It was tough though because of the wind; the wind was too much! I was like so much blown by it {laughs}. The first mile of the race and the last two miles, man, they were like, it was like climbing a hill, and I wasn’t climbing a hill! Oh, my. By the time I was finished my shoulders were killing me because I was fighting the wind! {laughs} The rest of the days when we (she and manager, Lisa Buster) go there it was warm; warmer than here (Norristown, PA); Thursday, Friday, Saturday it rained, it wasn’t that windy but as it kept on raining it kept on getting windier and windier!

Even in the evening, after the race, when we tried to go out with Lisa around 4 or something, it was so windy I was telling her that I could go with my back looking front the wind was too much!

Stefani: So you were walking backwards?

Catherine: Yeah! It was that much windy!

Stefani: How do you respond when people ask why you didn't win; why you came in 5th?

Catherine: I ran a pace that was within my training schedule; I don't count it like I didn't do great. I am happy with myself and I just know that if it was a day with no wind in my face that I would have run within a good time bracket.

Stefani: So you ran according to your training for the upcoming marathon.

Catherine: Yes, I started off and it was cold and I was wearing something underneath and I just needed to feel my way with the wind.

Stefani. So are you looking forward to Japan?

Catherine: I’m looking forward to Yokohama Marathon and to the Ekiden (2009 Chiba International Ekiden-November 23, 2009). The Ekiden is my favorite!

Stefani. Why is that?

Catherine: Because it’s FUN! It’s the only time you get to run a full marathon with other people!

Stefani. So you and your team members each run a leg of the race?

Catherine: Yes, It is a lot of fun!

S: The Yokohama Marathon it a Women’s marathon; is there a difference to you if you run a marathon with just women?

C: No, it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter but I think running a marathon with just women is unique. I think this is my second marathon that is women only and all other ones are with men too. It’s good though because in doing so the women get all the coverage.

S: Are you referring to the press truck and how many races only show the men’s race?

C: Yes. This is good for women.

S: I noticed in Philadelphia that when you and a group broke away from a pack of women that there were a few men that hung around and almost boxed you in; do you feel that in a women’s only race when you break away from the pack that there may be less people running close to you?

C: No, I don’t think about that. As long as someone is not stepping on you, it doesn’t matter if it’s a man or a woman!

S: How long will you be in Japan?

C: I’m going to be there I think for two weeks. I’m arriving on Tuesday the 10^th and am not going home until the 24^th.

S: Will Anthony (her husband) be there?

C: Anthony is arriving on the 13^th.

S: Will he stay for the Ekiden?

C: No, it will be a very quick trip. He has school. He will miss Friday. He will leave on Thursday night and arrive on Friday and Monday he will leave again. I guess he’s gonna be in the air more than he’s gonna to be in Japan! {laughs}

S. You’re lucky you have such a good supporter!

C: Yes, I thank God for him!

S: Who else is going to Japan?

C: Lisa (Buster)and Mostafa (El Nechchaddi her coach)

S: When you get to Japan, how long will it take you to adjust to the time?

C: Uh, four days is enough. It takes me like a couple days. I don’t let it get to me too much. So when it’s like the morning there, I can make like it’s evening here when I go for my evening run..

S: So now that it’s getting colder here in Philadelphia, does it make you want to go home?

C: I can’t wait to get home! Today Linus (another Kenyan runner who trains in Norristown with Catherine) called me and he was home and I was feeling so happy for him that he was home and I was feeling like it was me that was back in Nairobi!

S: When is the last time you were home?

C: 9^th of July. I feel like I’ve been here for a decade! {laughs}

Become a fan on Facebook!

2009-10-27T12:44:00.000-04:00

We now have a fan page on facebook; please click the "become a fan" button on the left of this page and join us! Feel free to pass it along to your friends as well!

CATHERINE'S FALL MARATHON ANNOUNCED!!!!!!

2009-10-20T17:21:00.000-04:00

People have been asking me for quite some time now if Catherine will be running a fall marathon and if so, where will she run. I can now officially announce that she will participate in the Yokohama Marathon on Sunday November 15, 2009. Catherine has a great following in Japan, has always been successful and she enjoys running there. She will be running against her friend and competitor Constantina Dita who took the gold medal to Catherine's silver in last year's Beijing Olympics. I only wish my budget would allow me to be there to watch but I will have to find a way to view online. If I find a link, I will certainly post it!

Chicago Updates

2009-10-14T14:38:00.005-04:00

I'm sure it is obvious how much I loved Chicago but it wasn't just because of the beautiful city! I met great people and was able to get the key interviews that I was there for. It was not easy to nail down the first one but it was sure worth it!

Phil Hersh has been writing about sports and the Olympics for a long time and has followed Catherine's career for many years as well. His schedule is extremely busy, especially having just returned from covering the vote on choosing the location for the 2016 Olympics (where Chicago unfortunately did not win) but he fit us in after the elite athlete press conference for the Chicago Marathon on Friday. His insights on women in distance running and especially his explanation on how he formulates his lists that put Catherine at the number one position of all time female marathoners was very informative!

After the interview I went with Jon to the Health and Fitness Expo where he had a booth to promote his film Spirt of the Marathon. There were many vendors there and I wanted to look around for potential sponsors for the film. The Expo was held all day Friday and Saturday. There was a fair amount of traffic through but Deena Kastor was scheduled to sign autographs at Jon's booth and starting a half hour before, there was a very long line at his booth waiting for her! Many were purchasing a DVD to have signed and some already had a copy. Almost as big a celebrity as Deena was another star of Jon's film, Jerry Meyers who is a 70+ year old man who has completed at least 5 marathons; the first at age 65!Deena Kastor signing authographs
Spirit of the Marathon stars Ryan & Colleen Bradley talking to Melissa Leggett at the Expo

I spent close to six hours at the Expo and afterwards felt as if I had run a marathon! It was exhausting, however, there were many vendors there and hopefully we'll find some interested parties to help out with the film!
these Injinji performance socks are awesome! They are SO comfy and are made for runners!
And how can you not like a line of clothing called RunGirlRun? These shirts rock!

On Saturday morning we met with Kathryn Switzer. She is an amazing woman who has been a pioneer in women's running since becoming the first woman to officially run in the Boston Marathon in 1967. She was instrumental in getting the women's marathon into the Olympics and she has known Catherine on a personal level for a long time as well. She was fantastic to interview because she has SO much information, is lively, animated, fun and I just loved hearing the personal stories about her and Catherine. This is what is at the heart of this film; many know about Catherine Ndereba's acheivments, but it is "off the field" so to speak that most people do not know her. It is the human and personal side that I want to show the world; not just the running machine that her body has become!

After spending a few hours with Kathryn and she had answered all of my questions, (many of which she even answered before I could ask!), I took an architectural tour via boat and got some beautiful Chicago b-roll! The buildings in this city are truly amazing! views from the boat

Gotta love lighthouses (shame it was so overcast and drizzly)

The race on Sunday morning was c-c-cold! I felt so bad for the runners out there but they seemed to block out the cold and use it in a positive way. Everyone seemed to have a great time running and besides being 33 degrees at the start, it was a gorgeous day! Jon and I scrambled to the finish area to capture the end of the race but since we weren't network we were stationed in a photo corral that didn't give us optimal position. However, I was not there to film the actual race so it was fine!
plenty of potassium for the runners!

After the winners' press conference we were able to talk with the second place winner, Irina Mikitenko. She has won quite a few major marathons in such a short period of time and like Catherine, she is a mother. She was very sweet and fortunately we had an interpreter.

After lunch, I was able to interview Deena Kastor, the top female distance runner in the United States right now. She is so lovely (as was her family who were all there with her) and was also very generous with her time! She has known Catherine for awhile and had some great stories to tell. I really believe that all of the interviews during Chicago will make this a better film!

view from the top of the Chicago Hilton; it was a glorious race day!

On Monday I took some time and went to the Sears Tower (now known as Willis Tower but everyone still refers to it as Sears!). It is amazing what went into the construction of this incredible structure and the view from the top is incredible.views from the top of Sears Tower

I'm sure it would have been even more spectacular if it had been a clear day but even with the clouds it was pretty awesome! After taking in the sights a friend picked me up, we had lunch in the suburbs and then he took me back to Ohare. I really did not want to leave so maybe it was meant to be that the flight was so over booked they needed people to volunteer to be bumped from the flight. I volunteered and got one last night in the windy city! Fortunately, I made it to my hotel in time to see the last part of the Phillies win their playoff game so all was good! That was just the icing on a very good trip!

Chicago

2009-10-08T22:23:00.012-04:00

Today I left gorgeous weather in Philadelphia and arrived in rainy Chicago. An old friend picked me up at the airport and gave me a ride to my hotel (okay, he's going to read this so I will clarify that HE is not old; I've just known him for quite awhile!) Let me first state that Catherine is NOT running the Chicago Marathon this year; I am here because there are 4 people that I want to interview and it was cost effective to be able to get all four in one city rather than have to travel to each individually. Also, Jon is in town promoting Spirit of the Marathon so I didn't have to fly him in to shoot either.

After checking in and grabbing lunch I set out to explore and scout locations to shoot the interviews. I've never been to Chicago before and I am really impressed with the city! Even in the rain it is beautiful! I started at my hotel and walked down to the Hilton which is where the media center for the race is. There are so many parks and so much greenery that it almost makes me feel like I'm not in a city.

It was really cool to see a busy city street right next to a marina and have the cars and boats almost look like they were right next to each other! But, reality soon set in because even though I walked around for several hours looking for the perfect location for one of my upcoming interviews, I wasn't able to find a spot where the constant buzz of city traffic wasn't overwhelming! I'll check out more locations tomorrow when it is light out again and hopefully the rain will end as well.

It is evident that the city is geared up for the marathon on Sunday; there are banners lining the race route and porta-potty's are quite abundant!

Catherine's next race: Bupa Great South Run 10M in Portsmouth, England

2009-09-25T13:10:00.004-04:00

In preparation for running a fall marathon, (which has not been announced yet), Catherine will run the Bupa Great South Run 10M in Portsmouth, England at the end of October. She was feeling great after winning the Philadelphia Distance Run for the 7th time and her training has been going well. As soon as things are official I will post where her fall marathon will be. I'm not sure where the information came from but someone posted on another site that she will run Chicago this year but I know for a fact that she is not running there this year. I will be there however to interview some key people for the film so I am looking forward to that! I've never been to Chicago so that will be nice as well. I remember watching Jon Dunham's Spirit of the Marathon and noticing how pretty the city was; he had some really nice shots!