Tackling North America's toughest pledge walk/ultra-marathon

June 4th, at 4 a.m., we were among 140 participants gathered in darkness at the start of the The Great Walk outside Gold River B.C. on Vancouver Island. Billed as the toughest pledge walk in North America, I had come prepared - or so I thought. My training the previous two months had included 12 km runs every other day, and I had taken long blistering walks around the Comox Valley on weekends. I planned to run and walk at hourly intervals until I reached the end of this 63.5 km course. My co-worker from 19 Wing Comox, Rob Milne, planned to walk the total distance.

The starting horn sounded, and we were off. There I was dressed in my World Vision, sponsor a child, T-shirt with black nylon shorts, edging my way to the front of the pack to join the other runners. Following the dim light cast by the small headlamp strapped around my cap I ran. The racers ahead appeared as distant bobbing flashes like fireflies. The first hour spent in darkness passed quickly. Aid stations, roughly 5-7 km apart along the route, staffed with cheerful volunteers, offered me Gatorade, bananas, orange slices, water and, if you needed it, a Johnny-on-the-spot. I carried my own stash of high protein snacks in a fanny pack as well.




Dawning sunlight met me 15 km into the race. Getting into hillier terrain my strategy changed when I realized it was easier walking up some hills and running down others. At around 22 km I came upon the steepest decline I had yet encountered - 18%. I hesitated wondering how to proceed. I watched a fellow runner ahead of me running down with great zeal. It looked like so much fun I figured I’d try the same technique. Adrenaline pulsed through me. The surrounding mountains and fir-tree forests blurred past. It wasn’t until I reached the end of this snaky hill that I felt it – a pain on the outer side of my left knee. It wasn’t that bad at first. I continued running for another kilometre before stopping to try and stretch it out. At 24 kilometres I was still walking and was encouraged when I saw a sign at the side of the road, reading, ‘40 km to Tahsis’.

“You can make it,” I told myself, “just keep walking.” There were two more aid stations to go and then I'd be halfway. There a backpack, which I had sent ahead of me in one of the Great Walk support vehicles, was waiting with beef jerky, power bars, and a new change of socks and shoes. Maybe there I could stretch out my leg and then be able to run again.


As I walked along I thought about my cause, World Vision, and I remembered something I had read on their web site. It was an article about women and girls in some of the developing nations who had to wake every morning at 4 a.m. to fetch water for their households. Many of them have to travel 10 kms on foot every day and return with the water, carrying it on their heads or balanced across their shoulders. The Great Walk had me experiencing some of their pain. World Vision is offering support to some of these women and girls by providing wells for their villages and better sanitation - a just cause. I pressed onward.


At the halfway point I was able to avail myself of my goodies and fresh footwear. The First Aid attendant offered me a tensor bandage to strap around my knee and this helped for a while. I was able to get 10 km further down the road until the inflammation became too hard to bear. I didn’t want to tear a ligament so the next time a patrolling quad wheeler came by I put up my hand and asked for a lift. I was 200 meters from stage 8, the 44 km mark. The driver handed me his spare helmet and I painfully climbed onto the back. My spirit wanted to continue but my knee had given up. I was taken to the finish line in Tahsis and could barely climb out of the truck. Enthusiastic volunteers and First Aiders helped me to the finish bell. I passed under a huge black burning boot archway, specially built for this event, and made my way into the Tahsis public school gym where ice packs, chilli, and more Gatorade awaited. They even had gym mats laid out where we could rest and stretch out our tired limbs.

Several hours after I left the finish by bus to go back to Gold River my co- worker, Rob Milne, crossed the finish line, around 13 hours after our early morning departure. Aside from a short glance from the shuttle bus, I didn't see him again until Monday when he came hobbling over to my desk, favouring his blistered feet. He handed me a registration form for an upcoming 56 km endurance walk/run in September, The Great Lake Walk, saying, “Come on, let's be a team."

3 days until The Great Walk for World Vision

There's still time to join my cause to raise support and awareness for World Vision. I'm taking part in The Great Walk - 63 km in one day. I plan to run/walk it. The route follows a winding logging road on Vancouver Island between the towns of Gold River and Tahsis. Around 150 people are presently registered for this, the world's longest one day pledge walk, so it should be fun. Hope it doesn't rain.



Please give a $$$ pledge or just tell others about it by clicking on the link above. Thanks for your support.

Rob Sargeant

Dance With Me, Now Available For iPad, iPhone & Kindle

My first e-book has started to appear at stores online. Here's a link to where it's listed at the iBookstore. Dance With Me - iBook You'll find an iPad and iPhone readable version slightly cheaper here: diesel eBookStore For some reason the iBookstore rounds the price of all their e-books up to the nearest .99. Dance With Me is also published as a Kindle e-book on Amazon.com for the same price. This offering, as a bonus, has text to speech capabilities, so you can listen to it on your kindle while stuck in traffic on the commute to work.
Underway, as well, is a screenplay adaptation of the novella at Studio Amazon Dance With Me - Screenplay
The first three chapters are FREE to read at Harper Collins' Authonomy Free 3 Chapters So at this point it looks like Dance With Me, has a good online presence. I confess though, I do miss the scent of a freshly printed trade paperback.

Rescue of Trapped Chilean Miners an Allegory of God's Love

I wept this morning when I heard the news that drillers had finally reached the trapped Chilean miners with an escape tunnel.

As I was driving along in my car, thinking about this, I was overcome with the truth that I was once like these miners, only I was trapped in sin. Nearly half a mile underground for 66 days these 33 miners were waiting. After the mine collapsed around them, cutting off their escape route, someone from above decided to launch a rescue mission. Working day and night drillers on the surface began to cut through the volcanic rock and stone until they had finally formed a bore hole large enough to send down a video probe. To their amazement, 2050 feet below the surface, they found that 33 miners were still alive.

To me this was a great allegory of what God did when he sent his own son, Jesus Christ, into the world to rescue us from our sin. Mankind was trapped without a sure hope until that time. God saw the problem of sin, how it separated us from him, and he came up with a rescue plan. He loved us so much that he sent his only son into the world to save us, and not only to save us but to give us every lasting life as well. Jesus spoke these words, recorded in the gospel of John, 3:16.

It's an interesting fact to note that the miners learned to turn to prayer to cope with their ordeal. The eldest Chilean miner lead daily prayers at an alter they had prepared. When all else is taken from you, faith becomes your most important ally.

I'm thankful to God that he rescued me and he will continue to until that day when I meet him in the sky. Some think the sins that have them trapped are too large, that God is no longer interested. The truth of the matter is, you have been running from God's love, you think you have hidden yourself from him. I believe that there are no circumstances, trials or sins that are too big for God to drill through, and there is none too far gone or so lost that God can not reach. He is love, and love seeks to save the lost. Love takes the initiative towards reconciliation. The rescue of these Chilean miners is the perfect allegory of this spiritual truth.

Aboriginal Awareness Week Contribution

It was Aboriginal Awareness week last week at the Navy base where I work. I contributed this short story to one of the base newspapers. It's based on an old Mik'maq legend, The Land of the Livers. One of the characters in it I named after a co-worker Googoo, who is of Mik'maq descent.

Enjoy,


Ages ago, Glooscap and his wife, Googoo, lived by themselves in a wigwam near the sea-coast. They had many children and were poor. On occasion they went hunting by canoe. One day when they were far from home, a thick fog settled in, and they lost their way. They paddled for hours without sight of land, feeling anxious and sad, worried about their children which were left at home all alone.

After some time they discerned a dark shape looming towards them in the fog. Astonishingly, it proved to be a huge canoe, containing eight giant men holding paddles. They hailed Glooscap and Googoo. A man asked: "My younger brother, where are you from?"

Glooscap replied in a sorrowful voice, "We are lost in the fog, and our poor children are left at home alone."

"Come with us to our camp, where you will be treated well. I can guarantee you a kind reception, as my own father is the chief."

Two giant men gently scooped Glooscap and Googoo's canoe from the sea with the blades of their paddles and set it before the chief's son, saying “don't be afraid”.

As they emerged from the fog, three immense wigwams, proportionate to the size of the men and canoes, appeared, built in a row on the shore.

The chief, a burly, elderly, man, came down to meet them. "Halloo!" he said, "who have you there my son? Where did you pick up that little brother?"

"My father," he replied, "I found him lost in the fog."

"All right, bring him home to the lodge."

While Googoo and Glooscap were still seated, two giants picked up the canoe, carried it to the lodge, and placed it under the eaves. The chief spoke kindly to them, and arranged for food to be prepared in their honour. He informed them that his name was Ooscoon (Liver), and that the young man who saved them was his son.

Some days later the chief sent off his men on hunting-expedition. They returned with a string of caribou, otters and beavers fastened round their waists, wound into their belts, as a Micmac would carry a string of rabbits. The hunters carried them with ease.

That night the chief warned his people, “In three days there will be a war”. A Chenoo monster was approaching. The chief ordered his warriors to go out to confront him, and destroy him before he got to the village.

So four men were chosen - two sons of the chief, and two others; despatched on the morning of the third day. Sakumow told Glooscap and Googoo that they must prepare for the intense battle noise. To protect themselves from the war-whoop of the huge Chenoo they must have their ears plugged and roll themselves up in skins. Wax must be melted into their ears and completely cover the sides of their faces. When this is done, they had to then roll themselves up in blankets made of dressed skins, to await the battle. They are told that the Chenoo will whoop three times.

When Glooscap and Googoo hear the terrible shout; even though their ears are closed, they barely survive the first horrible blast. The second cry is fainter and the third they could barely hear at all. When the danger is over, the chief tells them to get up, saying, “The enemy is killed.”

The warriors returned with tales of the hard fought battle but learn from the giant chief that their services will be required again very soon for a huge giant; a cannibal-a-kookwes is on the way to attack them. At the appointed time the warriors went out to face their foe and once again Glooscap and Googoo were directed to plug their ears with melted wax, but this time to double the layers of blankets around their heads to deaden the thundering of the giant cannibal-a-kookwes' loud, terrible, howling. Even with all this the sound almost kills them; but it gets fainter at every repetition, until the third howl, which is hardly heard at all. When it was safe and silent Glooscap and Googoo removed the covers from their heads unplugging their ears.

The giant marching warriors returned from battle, wounded and bloody. Large uprooted trees protruded from some of the warriors' limbs where the huge giant cannibal-a-kookwes’ had used them as spears in the midst of the struggle. The Liver-coloured Giants had not stopped to remove them in the battle field, but held off until they had returned to the village to pull the trees out as any mortal man would remove a thistle or small splinter. They told the old chief the details of the dreadful battle in which they were almost defeated. One of the chief's sons overcome with exhaustion faints, falling dead before he can reach the lodge door. The old chief goes out to him.

"What are you doing there son?" he asks. He commands him to rise.

So his son rises again, and says, "I'm faint and hungry." Once he is fed and rested, he regains his strength.

The old chief asks Glooscap and Googoo if they are ready to leave. They say they can not help feeling anxious about their children at home and want very much to return. "Tomorrow," he says, "I will send you home."

So the next morning Glooscap and Googoo find their canoe, packed full of choice meat and furs waiting at the shore. The old chief directs them to get in, and a small dog is put in charge of the craft. "The dog will be your guide. Whatever direction he looks, you must paddle that way."

With his hand on the dog the old chief says. "Take good care of these people and guide them home."

His final words to Glooscap and Googoo are prophetic. "Seven years from now you will be reminded of me again". Then off they went.

Glooscap took his seat in the stern, and Googoo in the prow. The dog sat in the middle of the canoe using his nose and ears to point in the direction they should go. They glided quickly over the calm sea and soon were in sight of their own home. The children saw them coming and excitedly ran to greet them at the shore. The dog shared their joy, wagging his tail, but he did not stay long. Glooscap was saddened and surprised when the dog left, bounding away across the sea as if it was ice.

Glooscap and Googoo shared the bounty and adventures from the land of the Livers with their children. They lacked nothing and lived in peace.

Seven years later, after a mighty battle with the Chenoo in the Land of the Livers, the giant chief sent for Glooscap and offered him his dead son's garments. They were far too large. Stained with blood from the battle with the Chenoo, the smell of sweat was still heavy on the warrior's clothes. But with a sense of pride Glooscap draped the large bear fur poncho over his shoulders, and as he reached down to fasten the leather belt he saw that he was growing. By the time that he had filled in the clothes, he had reached the height of the tops of the surrounding trees like the other giants in the Land of the Livers.

Next book underway

I thought I would try a different approach with the writing of my next book, Dance With Me. I found WEbook, a new online writing website that lets authors post their latest unpublished work to get feedback. They're promoting themselves as a type of American Idol, for aspiring authors. Annually they run a contest, which invites readers to vote for their favorite works. The story that receives the highest number of votes could be published by WEbook.

Here is a link to my latest story on their site: WEbook

Canada Coast to Coast - The Video

We made it across Canada in our 14-year-old van. The trip took 13 days in total. We spent some extra time in Alberta to see the badlands and the fourth largest mall in the world, West Edmonton Mall. Below is a short montage of video taken while on that trip.

We've bought a house in Metro Halifax.

The house hunting trip was a success. We found a place about a 1/2 hour commute outside of Halifax. What attracted us to the place was the quietness. We couldn't hear any traffic noise. The birds were chirping. The sun was shining. The kid's high school is about a ten minute walk away. There's a lake, with a beach close by, just down the road, where I can kayak too. So that's a big bonus.

We found the home we wanted, and put together an offer the second day so we had some free time to enjoy some of the touristy things in the region like eating lobster, and visiting the Halifax fort. Peggy's Cove is only a 45 minute drive away from where we'll be living. We drove over there in the evening to take some pictures and walk around the famous lighthouse. The scenery was amazing. Inspiring. This place will give me some great writing ideas I'm sure.

We're moving out east to Halifax

We've been blessed to live these past seven years on Vancouver Island. Close to rain forests, white sand beaches, with great skiing and hiking at nearby Mount Washington. It has been a rich experience. The people too are warm and welcoming. I've made some great friends. The first week of June we're going as a family to Halifax for a five day house hunting trip. There are so many options for buying there, it is a bit overwhelming. It would be great if God would point out where we're to go - give me a vision of a street name or his finger pointing to some place on a map. Maybe he will. I shouldn't worry. If God can find a home for a sparrow or a deer I know he can provide for me.

Sasquatch Doritos - It's Gotta Bite!

My sons talked me into helping them to make a 30 second TV commercial for a new (undecided) Doritos chip flavour. Since I had a Sasquatch costume rented already for next weeks shoot, we decided to use that. And I ended up being the one to wear it. At one point I picked up my youngest son and twirled him around on my shoulders, throwing him down several feet away. It was a great feeling. But since he's 112 pounds, I felt it later, before bed. It was worse in the morning. The completed version, I uploaded at 5:00 a.m. is below. Have a look for a good laugh, and give it a vote.

Guerrilla Film Festival Competition Time Again

Last year we won the Mount Washington Guerrilla Film competition with the short we made, entitled, Free Spirit. Is was adapted from a portion of the book I'm working on now. We had only 48 hours to shoot, edit, and submit the 4 minute production. We overcame the problems of technical mishaps, an injured lead actor, endured very little sleep and were able to finish it. This year, thankfully, they are giving us more time. We can shoot over days, or even weeks, as long as it is shot on Mount Washington, and doesn't run over eight minutes in length, and is submitted by March 28th. So now the pressure isn't so great. But were trying something a little more challenging this time around. Larger cast, more props, bigger budget.



We're doing a Sasquatch Film. The idea came to me about a month ago, when I was thinking about the idea of a movie about a born-again Yeti. I wrote it down, and had almost forgotten about it when, one day, suddenly, a seven foot co-worker stepped into my office. The light came on. "There's my Sasquatch!"

I just happened to bump into this big guy a couple of days later and asked him seriously if he wanted to play the role, and he said, "Yes!".

I went out this past weekend to find a costume that will fit our lead tall. Not an easy task. I was able to find costume rental place in Campbell River, about forty-five minutes drive away. I've negotiated to have it for until the 22nd of March, and I only have to pay $45.00. God's favor is on our side. Should be fun, no matter how it turns out.

Celebrating son's 16th birthday with sushi

It's hard to believe that my son Andre is 16. Soon he'll be able to drive. Time has passed so quickly. To celebrate this occasion I took him and eight of his friends out for sushi. I thought it would be a nice memory to take into manhood, eating raw fish, surrounded by friends, using chopsticks, in an oriental atmosphere. They had fun, but one of them ended up sick-to-his-stomach, so I left the evening wondering if maybe I should have gone with the standard pizza and burgers. Below is some video clips of the night. Enjoy.

Free The Children

If you haven't heard about this organization yet, you should. It's called Free The Children. My sons high school is raising money to build schools for children in Kenya, Africa through this program. Reaching out to the Maasai Mara. One of the characters in my latest book is Maasai, so I was happy to see this. They're selling cards and other art work to raise money and they will be hosting a dinner in March to raise more funds to build schools and provide clean water there. It's great to see the youth of this generation getting excited about social outreach. If you have the time take a look at the video below, it will touch your heart.

Davos, Switzerland debates

When I heard about the Davos debate competition taking place on YouTube this week I was moved to put in my two cents by responding to their question of a possible economic recovery in 2009. In many ways it relates to the topic covered in my book "A Silent Violence" - the extreme poor. I believe they need a bail out just as much as the car industry and the banks of North America. They have been living in crisis mode for decades, and they've been dying of disease, starvation, AIDS and malaria. There is so much untapped potential in the developing world - future doctors, inventors, teachers, and artists are there, but they require investment, they need schools, and proper health care for them to be able to reach their potential.

The better videos submitted to YouTube will be shown to those attending the World Economic Forum - C.E.O.'s world leaders and non-profit executives. Who knows, maybe my little video will catch their attention.

Highlights of 2008

I spent the first week of 2009 looking back on 2008 with a heart of thankfulness, remembering all the good things that occurred this past year. I've attempted here to rank the top three.

1) One highlight that really stuck out was the fun two week summer vacation we took visiting some of the tiny gulf islands and the west coast of Vancouver Island. It was quality time with my wife, Olivia, and our teenage sons, Andre and Colt, along with some of their friends; camping, hiking and jumping off cliffs and waterfalls. There's just something about that adrenaline rush you get when you're flying through the air that makes cliff jumping so invigorating. Nothing else compares. Maybe it's the realization that you're still alive after falling 40-50 feet into fresh water. I also had my first solo kayaking adventure this summer too, while researching the book I'm presently working on. An overnight journey that went around Valdes island. Beautiful weather. Surrounded by nature. Coffee made over a hiker's gas stove. Who could ask for anything more. Times spent with family and friends rank the highest in my highlights for 2008.

2) We took top prize at the Mount Washington 48 Hour Guerrilla Film Festival with our 5 minute short, Free Spirit. Cast and crew worked together in miraculous ways to see this completed.

3) A Silent Violence was published, after working on it for three years. Two spent writing and one year in editing.

Revenge of the beast - an Alan Smithy film

This past weekend I made a mockumentary film, entitled "Revenge of The Beast, An Alan Smithy Film". Along with a group of friends we shot this no budget production using my new Canon Vixia HF100, a hi-def video camera. The level of adrenaline and humor on set was high and the performances were top notch. We ended up with something subtly amusing, which is what we were aiming for. We're entering it in the YouTube/Sundance Film Festival, Project:Direct 2009 contest (You can watch it in the YouTube player below).








On another note, this week I heard from my publisher that they're putting out the press releases soon, and I now have the official release date for A Silent Violence of January 17th, 2009. I'm hoping to do a book release at the Coles bookstore here in Courtenay, once it's added to the Chapters catalog.

Better World Books

I just found out that the bookstore, Better World Books is selling, A Silent Violence. They're much more than a bookstore though. They're partnering with literacy programs which help struggling areas of North America and the developing world. Half of their profits go towards these types of charities. So if you're planning on buying my book, why not purchase it from Better World Books, and give to a non-profit cause for children at the same time. Check out Better World Books for yourself and see some of the unique initiatives they have going in Africa, and other places or watch the video below:

Yesterday Thirty Thousand Children Died from Preventable Causes

"Today almost thirty thousand children will die from preventable causes, including, malnutrition, malaria, and AIDS. Tomorrow just as many will perish. This tragic fact inspired author Rob Sargeant to write his latest book, A Silent Violence. He wanted to give these children a voice, in a world that seems to ignore this catastrophe.

Author Rob Sargeant wrote parts of his new book, A Silent Violence, while serving with the Canadian Armed Forces in some of the harshest climates on the planet: from freezing Alert, in Nunavut Territory, to the sweltering hot deserts of Southwest Asia. He wrote the first draft over a two-year period between 2005-2007, and spent another year in rewrites.

“The story has a very international flavor, so being in the contrasting climates of the Arctic and a desert in Southwest Asia while writing definitely helped,” Sargeant says. “It gave the story more authenticity.”

Relative to this time and generation, A Silent Violence, is a fictional tale about an Irish rock star, Liam, who mails out over a hundred invitations to some of the richest and poorest people on the world, inviting them to attend an all-expenses-paid, secret banquet in Toronto. By doing this, he inadvertently sparks the interest of the CIA, and an ambitious surveillance expert, Brad Jones, is dispatched to investigate this strange get-together, to discover why the meeting is surrounded by so much secrecy. He and his sub-agents monitor the movements of the guests, which include an AIDS orphan from the Philippines, a Tanzanian young man, a famous Italian opera singer, a Texas oil tycoon, an aging Hollywood actress, and a billionaire American computer software genius. After learning the truth, Brad has to decide if he will release it to the rest of the world in an exclusive news story, or if he will keep it a secret, and walk away a less wealthy, but much better person.

“A considerable amount of time was spent in research, before a first draft was completed, because I had to find out where these characters came from, how they would talk,” Sargeant said. “I was inspired to write this after a conversation I had with my younger brother, John, about the fact that every day thirty thousand people in the developing world perish from preventable causes, including malaria, AIDS, and malnutrition,” he continued. “This is a catastrophe that is rarely reported by the media, that’s why the book is entitled, A Silent Violence.”

A Silent Violence (ISBN-13: 9781607034827) is now available for purchase from Barnes & Noble’s online bookstore, and will be added to the catalogs of most booksellers, for ordering in the coming weeks."

This was my latest press release. Comments? Suggestions?

XO Laptop Give One Get One Campaign

This summer I took my XO Laptop, received earlier this year through the Give-One-Get-One campaign, on a camping and kayaking trip along the west coast of Canada. I was doing some research for a book that I'm writing. The laptop held up well in the hot and moist conditions. While on the shoreline, one time I was able to pick-up the internet, with its built in WIFI. There must have been a house nearby with unsecured access. I used it in internet cafes on Vancouver Island too, without any problems (the video processor is slow when it comes to watching YouTube, etc). For the children in the developing world this will be some amazing educational tool. The Sugar environment is very user friendly, and the Journal application keeps track of all activities, so it's easy to go back and make changes. The XO comes equipped with an SDHC slot, so memory can be expanded from 2-16 gigs if you so desire, but with the sugar platform 2 gig is plenty for getting you around. To be part of this years Give One Get One campaign visit: XO Laptop. Have a part in making a child's future much more promising.

Smokey Mountain

"Since he was six years old, Lucio had lived alone on the streets of Manila, Philippines. He looked after himself the best way that he could, sleeping in doorways at night, and working Smokey Hill during the day.

On occasion he could gather enough scrap metal to sell for food if he spent the day rummaging at the huge dump that smoldered continuously on the outskirts of the city. He taught himself how to turn old computer parts into colorful jewelry, and succeeded in selling some of it to the naive wives of rural farmers and tourists at the Manila marketplace. On a good day he could afford a meal from a roadside stall. Sometimes to quench the burning hunger in his stomach he would eat discarded food scraps, competing for them against the skinny cats and rats in the back alleyways of the restaurants and taverns." (Quoted from my next book, A Silent Violence)

One of the characters in my next book comes from Smokey Mountain, a real place in Manila, Philippines. He's a twelve year old boy who has lost his mother to AIDS. For six years he has been living on the streets. He could be one of the kids in the video above.