Race generates help for Haiti

IOWA CITY - Runner Zach Hill woke up Sunday morning to go on his daily run. The Iowa City resident's morning exercise, however, has an impact beyond just keeping him in shape.

Hill joined more than 100 other runners and walkers to participate in the first '180 for Haiti” 5k race at the Terry Trueblood Recreation Area in Iowa City. The run, organized by the Community Health Initiative Iowa, a University of Iowa student organization, to raise money for Haitian communities. In 2010, Haiti experienced a major earthquake that killed hundreds of thousands of people and caused intense structural damage.

'They're still in a really dire situation and although the earthquake passed and they got a lot of financial and physical aid, they still need a lot of support today,” said Catherine Zhang, president of the CHI-Iowa student chapter. 'Haitis' infrastructure was pretty terrible even before the earthquake.”

According to Community Health Initiative, around 75 percent of the Caribbean country's population lives on less than $2 a day.

Zhang said the race wasn't only about raising money but to tell more people in the community about the organization.

'We are really happy to have this turn out,” she said. 'A lot of people who participated said they'd never heard about the Community Health Initiative so I feel like we definitely accomplished our goal.”

The student organization has been around for two years and is connected with the national Community Health Initiative organization that makes regular trips to Haiti to help communities and provide medical assistants. University of Iowa physician Chris Buresh co-founded the organization in 2009.

Hill said he tries to run a road race every weekend and tends to gravitate toward races with a greater cause.

'That makes it much better,” he said of the race's fundraising component. 'The benefit and causes inspire me to run the race even more and makes me feel good that the money is going towards a good cause.”

Masashi Mukado, 30, ran Sunday morning to stay fit for his wedding this November. Mukado rain with his friend Toru Egashira, 35. It's Egashira's first 5k.

'[The race] is a good idea,” Egashira said of CHI-Iowa's mission and the race.

Zhang, a UI medical student, went with CHI to Haiti two years ago where she helped at a local medical center. Zhang said $20, the race's registration fee, gives two families a water purification system. That same monetary amount provides one child birthing kit to a mother. Zhang said the $2,500 raised is also used for medication during medical trips, translators and to pay local community health workers in Haiti.

Zhang said the organization will have a spring fundraiser and plans to hold another 5k next fall.