LINCOLN (SNR) – Steve Sousek, a member of North American Martyrs Parish in Lincoln, will embark on a two-day running/biking event July 22-23 to benefit RUNBORN, an entity supporting women and children in crisis, and unborn children.
Sousek created RUNBORN in 2020 and participated in events to raise funds for Women’s Care Center and St. Gianna Women’s Home in Lincoln.
In June 2020, he ran approximately 520 miles in 10 days across Nebraska to raise funds for RUNBORN, and in June 2021 he did five triathlons in five days, spanning more than 700 miles across Nebraska. In those two years RUNBORN raised nearly $68,000 for the two charities.
Over July 22 and 23, Sousek will traverse 262 miles, the equivalent distance of 10 marathons. He will run 56 of the miles – for his age, 56 – and bike the rest. The routes he chose illustrate the charities: his first route represents the image of the beginning of a new heartbeat, and the second day’s route represents the shape of a heart.
Sousek is particularly grateful to be able to continue to raise funds for the charities, albeit in a scaled-down way.
He originally planned a five-day, 630-mile biathlon, running and biking from the Wyoming border to the Iowa border, but he contracted COVID-19 in January, which he said halted his training for two months.
“When I restarted training I discovered my cardio still was significantly hampering me,” he said. “It has been a challenging, long, and slow road overcoming the lingering effects and I am still not back to where I was pre-Covid, but I am very happy I have recovered well enough to do an event this year.”
As late as April, Sousek considered foregoing any event this year because of his challenges and training results. But he was encouraged by his performance in the Lincoln half marathon May 1. He said he did much better than he expected. After much prayer, discernment, and conversations with close friends and family, he decided he would attempt a scaled-down event later in the summer. Sousek is involving some of his running and biking friends to help encourage him and finish out any miles he is not able to complete each day.
“It was really troubling me thinking I would not do an event this year,” he said. “Past supporters would be excited when they asked me how plans are coming, when is it going to be, can they donate yet, et cetera. I felt like I would let people down, especially the charities and all the women and children they help, if I just skipped this year.
“I would think about the challenges of the last two years and how God carried me through them,” he continued, “and really the fun and excitement I experienced during and after completing those challenges. The bottom line is, RUNBORN is my calling, I can’t just skip a year. After all, the whole idea of RUNBORN was to be a challenge that would raise money to help others get through their challenges which are much greater.”
Sousek also recounted a conversation he had with a young first-time mother during a birthday gathering at the Women’s Care Center (WCC). The woman utilized WCC during her pregnancy, and still continues to after the birth of her baby, and told Sousek she appreciated all the support and encouragement and services they have provided.
“She had nothing but good things to say about all their staff,” Sousek said, and after the woman saw posts on Facebook about RUNBORN, “she just wanted to thank me.”
“You know, sometimes I get stuck thinking RUNBORN just supports these entities,” Sousek said. “It is good to get these reminders that RUNBORN – our financial donors – are not just supporting charitable entities. We are supporting people – women, mothers, children, infants, unborn babies. It is such a blessing, so heartwarming, so inspiring to see this young woman and her smiling infant and to know in some very small way I was able to help.”
Sousek’s 2022 route is available at www.runborn.org. Runners or bikers are welcome to join in with him for any distance. Donations will be accepted on the site through Aug. 6. RUNBORN’s goal this year is to raise $30,000. All funds raised will be split between St. Gianna Women’s Homes and the Women’s Care Center of Lincoln.
St. Gianna’s is an apostolate of Catholic Social Services of Southern Nebraska (CSS) that provides victims of domestic violence and other forms of abuse with a range of services, including a fully furnished 24-unit long-term housing complex. Additionally, CSS provides education, employment, and counseling services for families left homeless because of domestic violence.
Women’s Care Center (WCC) was founded by Dr. Janet Smith in 1984, and has since become the largest pregnancy resource center in America, serving 30,000 women annually from 34 centers in 11 states. WCC offers free pregnancy tests, ultrasounds, self-sufficiency training, education, counseling, and support after birth for as long as is needed for each individual woman.
Sarah (Kroner) Williams, RN, headed up an endeavor to bring WCC to Lincoln in 2020 and they are in the process of expanding to meet a growing client need.
“These women and children face much bigger challenges than the challenge before me,” Sousek said. “Their actual life is being challenged and threatened. I am running for their lives, and this year biking as well, believing that my effort and physical sacrifice will inspire others to help support them with a financial donation, or sacrifice if you will, through RUNBORN.”
