Athletes on the run in Kiwi Land

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Participating in the 1993 Sacred Run in New Zealand was truly meant to be for a group of young athletes from central Canada.

Left penniless and ticket-less after their trainer failed to show on the eve of the run, the youths were the recipients of a wave of financial support that floated them to New Zealand and back.

More than $14,000 were donated to the First Nations Running Club, with an additional $15,000 granted through the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development.

"The response was just tremendous," said Larry Diamond, a sponsor of the running club. "We got people from all over Canada calling in with help, from Ontario to the Yukon."

The first indication Diamond got that something was wrong was when the teens phoned his office in downtown Winnipeg asking if anyone was going to pick them up from the airport. Their trainer, Tom Wesley, hadn't shown at the appointed time, and they were stranded. The two girls and four boys, aged 14 to 20, were put in a hotel overnight, then billeted in city homes. The girls returned to Ontario, but the boys remained with hopes the 23-year-old trainer would arrive.

Wesley didn't appear, and Diamond started contacting the media and other Native organizations to raise money for the trip. The story of the stranded Native runners attracted immediate attention, and the response was overwhelming.

A group of businessmen from Indianapolis donated $10,000. And Canadian Airlines took $1,000 off each ticket and threw one in for free.

Within six days, a total of $30,000 had been collected for the team. They arrived in New Zealand Nov. 7, one day before the 9,000 kilometre run began.

While Native organizations gave what they could, non-Aboriginal donations were surprisingly generous, said Diamond. So much so that extra money has been placed in a trust fund to sponsor runners for the third leg of the sacred run, to take place next year in Africa.