By Christine Lyon - South Delta Leader
Published: April 20, 2012
Eat. Sleep. Run. Repeat.
That pretty much sums up Ladner resident Norma Bastidas’ life for the next two and half months.
The 44-year-old single mother of two teenage boys has an ambitious plan to run 35 miles per day—every day—until she completes the 2,600 mile journey from Vancouver to her hometown of Mazatlan, Mexico.
She starts her adventure at the crack of dawn on Saturday, April 21 at Vancouver City Hall and expects to stop at Delta Municipal Hall that same morning on her way to the U.S. border.
“Am I nervous? Yes. But it takes a lot of planning, and it can be done,” she says with confidence.
Although Bastidas is a seasoned long-distance runner, this solo expedition promises to push her to the upper limits of her physical and mental capabilities. But it is more than a test of personal fortitude. The trip, which Bastidas has titled “Running Home,” is also a campaign to end violence.
She has partnered with the DOVE (Delta Opposes Violence Everywhere) committee to help raise awareness of all forms of violence and the resources available to victims.
It’s a cause that is close to her heart.
A reason to run
Bastidas first started running as a way to cope with emotional stress after her oldest son, Karl, now 17, was diagnosed six years ago with a rare and incurable eye condition called Cone Rod Dystrophy that was slowly robbing him of his sight. The devastating news not only prompted Bastidas to hit the pavement every day, it also motivated her to start running for a cause. She began using her runs—which gradually increased in length and intensity—to raise money for the blind and visually impaired.
Marathons, ultramarathons and mountain treks have taken Bastidas to all corners of the world. In 2009, she became the fastest female in history to run seven of the planet’s most unforgiving environments on seven separate continents in seven months. She called her whirlwind tour the “777 Run For Sight.”
About six months ago Bastidas had her heart set on climbing Mount Everest as part of her quest to ascend the highest peak on all seven continents. But, while trip planning, she couldn’t ignore news about the Mexican drug war going on just steps from where she grew up, and where much of her family still lives.
It made her reflect on her past.
“We didn’t have a lot, so we had to work. Those things make you vulnerable to violence, which is bullying or anything else,” she says.
Bastidas recalls one terrifying instance when, at 17-years-old, she was grabbed off the street in Mexico City and forced into a vehicle. Some 24 hours later she managed to pry her way out of an unfamiliar house and run away.
She decided it was time to confront her past, and doing so would require her to take a stand against violence—which includes the bullying her son faces at school because of his visual impairment.
That’s how “Running Home” was conceived.
“I wanted to do something really, really hard,” she says. “Then I can stand up and say I’ve done everything that is physically possible to help my son.”
An inspiration to others
Bastidas is a community member of the DOVE committee, and to her fellow members she is a model of courage and determination.
“She’s an incredible inspiration and we thank her for everything she’s done for us and will do in the future and we’re extremely happy to have her as part of the committee,” says DOVE co-chair Jill Colley, who is also a violence intervention worker at Delta Police Victim Services.
Colley explains that DOVE seeks to put an end to all forms of violence, from elder abuse to teen dating violence to bullying. The committee comprises representatives from several local organizations, who band together in a co-ordinated effort to prevent relationship violence through public awareness and education.
While the committee does make regular appearances in the community, Colley says DOVE can always stand to receive more support and Bastidas’ run will likely help.
“She will bring awareness of DOVE just through the media attention that she gets,” Colley says.
DOVE gratefully accepts cash donations for its anti-bullying program as well as toiletry items for the emergency care kits it distributes to women, men and children fleeing abusive relationships.
Mapping her route
In the days leading up to her departure, Bastidas has repeatedly rearranged the contents of the 22-pound backpack she will carry on her self-supported, sponsor-free journey. Inside is a tent, sleeping bag, three days worth of dehydrated food, water treatment tablets, clothing—including a shirt signed by at-risk youth she met at the Modesto Marathon in California—hiking poles, a camera and video camera, journal and passport. She will also carry a cell phone and GPS tracking device so her family knows where she is at all times.
Bastidas plans to follow Highway 101 along the Pacific Coast, where she expects there will be plenty of campsites and gas stations to purchase supplies.
While she’s away, her sister, also a Ladner resident, will care for her sons. Bastidas has ensured her boys she will stop if she ever feels in danger.
“Even when I climb mountains, they know that, as much as it hurts, if it’s not safe I would turn around,” she says. “It’s never fun to fall short of a goal, but if you don’t come home that’s not successful.”
This will mark the first time in 12 years Bastidas has returned to her hometown. Her relatives will be there to welcome her when she arrives.
After a visit, which may coincide with the Mexican presidential election on July 1, Bastidas will fly back home to B.C. But she admits, were it not for wanting to get back to her kids as soon as possible, she would be inclined to make the return trip on foot
Maintaining good health
Although she only started ultra-long-distance running in recent years, Bastidas, who works as a personal trainer, has always been active.
Her father was just 41-years-old when he died of a heart attack brought on by years of unhealthy living. And her grandmother also died of a heart attack very young.
“It was painful, losing your father at 11,” Bastidas says.
Those untimely deaths prompted her to focus on her health. She became a certified aerobics instructor in Mexico and that job led into an acting career. Bastidas appeared on a small TV show in her hometown, then worked as an actress in Japan for six years before moving to Canada.
“Exercising and health, it’s something that I’m incredibly passionate about,” she says.
Bastidas hopes to learn a lot about herself on the road to Mexico. She plans to fold her upcoming experiences into an autobiographical book, aptly titled “Running Home,” which will chronicle her early life in Mexico, her experience as a single mother, and how she developed a passion for running.
