The Faculty Club, University of Toronto, 41 Willcocks Street, Toronto, ON M5S 1C7
HURRY TO RESERVE!! Limited seating!!!!
Friday - September 19, 2008
Meeting Registration & Networking: 6:30pm - 7:30pm
Meeting & Dinner: 7:30pm - 10:00pm
This is my Journey! These past few years have being incredibly rewarding In both learning about myself, and in learning that we can truly exceed Any limits we think we might have.....
Guest Speaker: Ray Zahab
www.rayzahab.com
rayzahab@rayzahab.com
Winner of some of the world’s most difficult and challenging ultra-distance foot races, Ray Zahab is motivated by challenge, distance and discovery. Late in 1998 Ray made a life changing decision to leave a pack a day smoking habit and very unhealthy life choices behind him. New Years day 2000 he went hiking with his brother John and never looked back.
New to the sport of running in 2004, ultra-marathoning took Ray from the cold north of Canada to the Amazon jungle. But it was the Sahara desert that ultimately captured Ray’s heart. After racing across Niger, Egypt and Libya the idea was born to cross the entire Sahara out of a love for the terrain and it’s people. In 2007, Ray Zahab and two others made history by running 4300 miles across the entire Sahara Desert , raising awareness for clean-water initiatives in Africa. This feat consisted of 111 consecutive 40 - 50 mile days of running in extreme desert conditions through six countries. Ray dreamed of this adventure after a 200 mile foot race in Niger, during which he became very attached to the Sahara and its people, the Tuareg. During this run, Ray met a young Tuareg girl who asked him for his water bottle so that she could drink the remaining drops. Ray later came to understand this interaction as symbolic of the profound clean-water crisis devastating the region. After witnessing and experiencing the water crisis and malaria epidemic in Africa, Ray decided to dedicate his future adventures to raising awareness and funding for causes that he supports and believes in. Ray is a member of the board of Directors of the Ryan’s Well Foundation, is the official Athletic Ambassador to the ONExONE organization, and is a representative of SpreadTheNet and the founder of Impossible2Possible. Ray was the recipient of the ONExONE Difference Award in 2007- honorees included Sarah Ferguson, Chief Phil Fontaine, Richard Gere and Wycleff Jean.
Most recently, Ray has been inspired to include the connection between climate change and it’s negative social impact. From desertification and the expanding malaria belt- to the loss of Inuit hunting grounds in Canada’s north, the impact of the changing climate is felt around the world. Rays next adventure, The Polar Run Expeditions in 2008 and 2010 will highlight these issues for younger people through the creation of a unique and wide reaching online educational resource.
Ray has an exploding speaking career- speaking in front of audiences worldwide including PowerWithin, Johnson and Johnson, Pepsi, Sunlife Financial, Outdoor Retailers (Utah), and so many more.
Ray also splits his time speaking to schools, fundraisers and special events such as AL Gore’s Climate Project, Special Olympics, Canadian Olympic Association, Icebergs to Sand Dunes...Our Changing Planet, Riverside Resolve Center, Guts and Glory, Youth Business Network End Child Poverty, plus many more.
Running for My Life is the story of a man's journey from a world of partying and hard living to a world of eco-challenges, epic long-distance races, and championships. As a young man, Ray Zahab almost lost himself to excessive drinking and smoking. Then on New Year's Day of the year 2000, he caught a glimpse of where his partying would lead him and decided to turn his life around. Running for My Life is a brave and bold autobiography that follows Zahab's travels down the roads to destruction and redemption. It is a book that documents one man's passion for challenge, distance, and discovery.
His book will be made available for sale and will be sign personally by Ray Zahab.
Donation will be accepted that night for his next challenge, greatly appreciated!
Thank you.
