From Newfoundland and Labrador with love: Heidi Perry

“It’s not how much we give but how much love we put into giving.” ― Mother Teresa

This week’s runner profile is about a young girl from Newfoundland and Labrador, who without much training but with a huge heart and motivation, completed a marathon. She ran for others many miles away. Meet Heidi Perry.

Heidi Perry and her runs

Heidi is a 14-year-old, ninth grade student and competitive swimmer and occasional runner from Steady Brook, N.L. She is coached by her mom and excels in both sports but only runs during cross-country season in September and October.

In 2010, the news of the horrific earthquake that hit Haiti ran across the screens of television around the world. Heidi’s run for Haiti started when she was 10. Heidi always had a goal to run long distances but with the news of Haiti she talked with her mother about running to help those affected by the earthquake.

Heidi decided to run to raise money for an orphanage called Hands Across The Sea (HATS) in Haiti run by another Newfoundlander, Karen Huxter.

Heidi ran 10K the first year, a half-marathon the following year and then a full marathon in 2014 and 2015. Not only did she run a marathon this past November but, according to her mother, does most training through swimming and a couple of runs in preparation (and of course motivation and heart). In 2014 it took Heidi five hours to run 42.2K. This year, Heidi did it in 4:41 amidst wind and intermittent snow. Talk about a tough 14-year-old.

Heidi had the thrill of meeting Huxter and her latest adopted son last summer. I was told that the kids in the orphanage all know Heidi, and that Karen’s adopted son has a picture of the two in his room.

Heidi has raised approximately $6,500 from her runs and fundraising for those many miles away.

Run on Heidi, you inspire and motivate us to get out there and to occasionally think beyond ourselves and our imagined limits.

See you on the roads or in the blogosphere my running friends.

Do you have a running story to tell?

runningwriter@hotmail.com

You can also catch Noel Paine on Twitter at @NoelPaine or on his personal blog, No Paine, No Gain.