Schmidt Completes Marathon and Raises Thousands for Water Cisterns in Brazil

It was the fulfillment of a dream and an experience that he described as “incredible.” On April 17th 2005, Orlando Schmidt completed the Boston Marathon running 26 miles (42 kilometres) in 3 hours and 35 minutes -just 5 minutes shy of his goal.

“Running Boston was an incredible experience,” he said. “The crowds were huge and very loud. Often children lined the course on either side with their hands reaching out to give a ‘high five’ or offer an orange slice or cup of water. I enjoyed running along the side of the course and slapping the kids’ hands.”

Schmidt qualified for the race last fall when he completed a marathon in Victoria, BC. When he realized that he would be running in a world famous marathon, he decided that he wanted to do more than simply run a race, he wanted to use the experience to make a difference in the lives of others.

Schmidt and his wife, Vivian, served with MCC in Brazil for four years and so it was a natural decision for him to raise funds for MCC’s work there. The One Million Cisterns project in Brazil provides concrete water cisterns for families in arid, eastern Brazil. It was this project and those like it that Schmidt decided to support.

“Raising funds that will support a project that improves people’s lives, addressing poverty issues, that will make this marathon even more meaningful to me,” he said before the race. “I find the work of MCC a very practical way for putting Christian faith into action and I want to support MCC’s work however I can.”

As Schmidt was running the race he saw people waving Canadian and Brazilian flags and tried to acknowledge these as he ran. It also spurred him to think about the people in Brazil for whom he was raising funds.

His goal was to raise $26,000 – one thousand dollars for each mile he’s run – enough money to fund nearly 100 cisterns in Brazil (each cistern costs roughly $300.) Six classes at Auguston Elementary School in Abbotsford where his sons attend held a coin drive and raised over $1000. His youngest son’s kindergarten class raised enough money for one cistern bringing in $365. For Schmidt this is icing on the cake.

“I am extremely grateful for all the contributions that have come in,” he said.

Now that the experience is over, it has a bittersweet feeling. While he can say that he “did Boston” he says there’s an empty feeling now that it’s over and he’s accomplished part of what he set out to do. But although the race is over, he realizes that life goes on and hopes people will continue to support MCC’s water projects.

“I look at this way,” he says. “I have finished running the Boston Marathon but for many families who need water, that need is still there.