I feel very fortunate to be the one to share with you the story of a young man named Lazar Rišar.

Lazar is 17 years old and lives in Sombor, Serbia. His family consists of his father, step-mother, and 10 siblings. He is uneducated (as in he can only write is name and read basic numbers). His family is very poor.

One day this past May, when he was leaving church, he noticed activity in the town square. As he approached the crowds, he saw people handing out race numbers. He took one for the 2K Fun Run. However, as the race continued, he decided to keep running with the half-marathoners. He finished in 2 hours 22 minutes. The race organizers named him the “moral winner” of the 32nd Sombor Marathon.

He had no training except that he usually ran the 2 miles from the periphery to the center of his town.

His diet consists of meals provided by the Red Cross soup kitchen. No pre-race carb loading. No protein bars.

He had no special running gear. In fact, he ran the race in JEANS and very worn casual shoes.

Check him out:

When people asked him how he managed to run the race, the extremely polite and well-mannered young man said modestly: “It was not difficult, I was not even tired. I ran as best I could…God gave me strength.”

After his story was made public, the Sports Association of Sombor gave him a pair of running shoes. He was grateful but stated that he would prefer the opportunity to work and earn them on his own.

How great is this kid? The JoggingJeans.com Awesomeness Award has been officially bestowed upon Lazar Rišar. Don’t even bother nominating someone else. It is Lazar’s award. Forever.

I must give a BIG thanks to Milica who first introduced me to Lazar and translated the Serbian articles so I could have all the details. Please spread the word about this great kid!

(source)