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Showing posts from October, 2013

Start Some Good for Idrissa Kargbo

It's 7 days to New York City's Marathon and Sierra Leone is sending a runner to compete for the first time. Twenty-something Idrissa Kargbo, who has been running long distance for 10 years, told VOA's Nina DeVries that he is honored to represent his country and hopes to beat his own record of two hours and 35 minutes. According to DeVries, Kargbo gained support through the help of Jo Dunlop , an Australian expatriate living in Sierra Leone. They met at the National Stadium in Freetown, where Dunlop would go running.  She saw Kargbo's potential and helped sponsor him in the first marathon ever held in Sierra Leone, which he won with a national record of two hours and 38 minutes, DeVries said. After his big win in Sierra Leone, Dunlop decided to nominate him for the New York City Marathon.  Fundraising efforts have amassed $13,000 in donations - enough to get Kargbo to New York for the opportunity of a lifetime. "They [NYC marathon organizers] gave him a