Runner

[birds chirping] MALE MODERATOR: Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen.

I hope it's all going well for you.

I-- a pleasure to, um, to moderate this press conference because it's actually an amazing, um- a great story.

Um, which is why I'm not gonna try and tell it.

Because it's not my story.

Obviously, it's Guor's.

Rather, I think, than- than asking Guor to give his whole life story, I think better to take questions and answers, so let's start with the gentleman down here on the left.

MALE REPORTER #1: Guor, this question is for you.

What was it that inspired you or pushed you to keep fighting in order to get here?

Can you tell us please, uh, when you actually arrived in America?

LEE: Guor, hello.

Lee Wellings of Al Jazeera.

When did you last see your family and will they have the chance to watch you compete?

Um, when you were in the refugee camp, were you able to follow the Olympics at all?

Have you got any plans to go back to South Sudan in the near future?

Um, I wonder if you could tell us how your relationship with running has changed since your childhood and now that you're here in the Olympics running as a marathon runner.

And was there ever a time where, uh, running was a way of you to es- to- to focus on something else and escape from the past?

MALE ANNOUNCER #1: It's the final day of the London Olympics, and it begins with the men's marathon through the streets of Central London.

A 105 representing 67 countries about to take their 26.2 mile journey.

So, the runner's sent on their way, in addition to the 67 nations represented by the 105 men, there is one runner running under the International Olympic Committee flag.

Guor Marial.

He's from South Sudan, a refugee.

Uh, he's had an unbelievable story.

[] [birds chirping] JACOB: South Sudan is a- is a- is a region.

Has been in- at war, um, for over fifty years.

It centers around, um, the consequences of colonialism, and the abrupt exit of the British in the 1950s following World War Two.

And- and this was really what started South Sudan off on the path to conflict.

The fact that we had two countries with very different notions of what it was to be, uh, themselves.

[yells in foreign language] Left, right, left, right, left, right.

JACOB: Southern Sudanese very African and very traditional.

And- and the Northerner Sudanese an Arab-centric culture... [speaking Arabic] JACOB: And Islamic, uh, culture.

There was a clash of- of- of civilizations, so to speak.

[gunfire] JACOB: Ethnic conflict and animosity, uh, political, uh, manipulation, and a- a scramble for- for- for resources.

[gunfire] BILL GALLAGHER: What do you remember about your village?

Uh, that's a good question.

[] [wind blowing] [gunfire] [gunfire] [panting] You see that.

[panting] [] [wind blowing] [distant traffic] GUOR: We left at night, July 19th, 2001.

They took us to the airport, this big airport.

First time to enter into an airport.

First time to get on a plane.

4:00 A.M., we- we depart from the gate.

We took off.

[plane engine] GUOR: And we arrive in New Hampshire, and we came in the summertime when the trees' beautiful.

The smell was completely different, and all these things, you know, it's- it's just, wow.

This- this is good.

[laughs] AJOK: Yeah, as soon as I landed, I'm like, this is the last stop, I hope.

I don't have to be, you know, running again.

It was our new life.

We start a new life.

And then later, school start.

We're going to high school, and that was a big shock.

[chuckles] I was kind of like, "Okay, will I make friends?

How am I going to make friends?

I don't know English."

[school bell rings] I remember when I first- first met Guor.

Uh, he immediately had- had this really warm presence.

He was already someone.

He was sort- sort of immediately a personality that everybody kind of- kinda went to, who created a- a sense, I think, a really deep sense of humility.

It was kind of mid-quarter, if you will, and, uh, I met this guy for the first time.

Didn't know anything about him, had a hard time communicating with him.

The language barrier was, uh, challenging at the time.

Uh, the class that- that I was teaching was kind of like a fitness training class, and that's where, you know, I kinda saw this kid that was tireless going through, whether it was biking, rowing, or anything.

Just had so much energy.

And then when I saw him finally run, um, that's when, you know, I saw something, you know, really special.

I asked him if he ever ran before, and he said "No," and he didn't know what track was.

Um, he didn't know you could run.

It was a sport.

GHOR: That's when he said, you know, I think you- do you know running?

You can be a good runner.

I said, "No, I don't."

I said, "I can't."

I said-- I told him, I said I cannot run because I'm working full time, and I'm going to school at full time.

So, having another job, it would be suicide.

Eric called me up at home here, and he said, "Listen."

I said- he goes- I- I- I think I have a prospect for you.

I'm like, come on, Eric.

I said, I'm two weeks into the season here.

This guy better be good.

So, Mr. Brown came and told me next class.

He said, Guor, you can go.

The track coach wanted to meet with you at the track.

I was kind of, what is the track?

You see, back then, I thought truck and track were the same.

I was kind of what the- a truck?

RUSTY: And I was a pretty accomplished runner back then, and I'm waiting for Guor.

And a kid shows up, and he's got a basketball outfit on with basketball shoes.

And I says, can I help you with something?

I said, "I am Guor."

And he said, "Okay.

Are you ready to run?"

I said, "Yes.

To run where?"

He- he said, "You're going to do two miles in- in this kind of track here."

And I'm running with this guy, and I'm like, he's in basketball shoes, and I was having a hard time keeping up with him.

We got about, uh, six laps out of eight into it, and I said, Guor, it's two laps to go.

I said, you can do whatever you want.

You can stop now if you want.

I said, or you can take off.

Took off.

[laughs] [cheering] I did everything I could do just to try to stay- I couldn't stay with him.

And he finished.

The kids were laughing.

It was, like, oh, my goodness.

I've- he beat me by about a hundred yards.

And, uh, so, at the end, I said, um, can you start tomorrow?

Three days later, we had a- a- a race at, uh, St. Paul Invitational, and they made me anchor in the eight hundred.

I didn't know what- what is the eight hundred or how many laps.

RUSTY: When he finally figured out the distance and, like, ten, fifteen seconds ahead of everyone else, we were, like, wow.

That- alright, we misjudged this.

[laughs] He's gonna be something to- to be feared.

And we- I remember going home and telling my mom about him, and I was, like, this kid's gonna be good.

Like, we're gonna have a team this year.

TRACK TEAM MOM #1: I don't see Guor.

TRACK TEAM MOM #2: I don't either.

They've got him boxed in.

RUSTY: Alright, Guor!

Hold your ground!

Come on, Gour!

TRACK TEAM MOM #1: There he is.

Right up front.

There he is.

[cheering] He took off and was a- a star on a state level pretty immediately.

[] TIM: And then, after that, it was just, like, championships, wins, so he kind of just took off from there.

TRACK COACH: Come on, let's go.

[cheering] [applause] These guys are freezing cold.

They run in their little skivvy shorts and shirts, and they still run great.

It's awesome!

This is just the best weather to run in too.

INTERVIEWER: Do you want to add?

Oh, no.

It's okay.

INTERVIEWER: No?

AUDIENCE: Go, Guor!

I love you, Guor!

[applause] RUSTY: But during that sophomore year, too, I noticed that he wasn't eating well.

He was always hungry.

So, I went out and bought him- I bought a whole bunch of, uh, bars.

Energy bars.

He opens up the box.

He goes, what are these?

And I said, try one.

I said, eat it.

It- it's probably really good.

And he did.

He had five out of the ten eaten before he left.

That's when I knew- my wife knew- it was time to step in and get this kid some, uh, some help.

The running community in Concord is very close.

So, pulling him into that gave him a structure that he hadn't had before.

There were physical issues from- from his experiences, um, before he came to the United States, and, um, lingering ones, you know, that needed some medical care.

He didn't have front teeth.

We had to get his teeth fixed.

From what I learned, he had them smashed out by the butt end of a gun.

It wasn't until we were seniors that he opened up to some people.

He didn't talk a lot about where he came from, and I'd been running with him for three years at this point is when we started.

You know, we'd go on twenty mile runs together and that's when we started to talk about this kinda stuff.

And e- eventually, it kind of dawned on me, like, man, he's got some really deep down stuff that he- he wants to let out, but he hasn't.

He's endured more than most people will ever see in their lifetime.

He's- heck, I mean, he's been to more places than most of us will be in our lifetime.

Um, he's seen things that we don't even wanna see, you know, replayed on- on the nine o'clock news.

FEMALE NEWS ANCHOR #1: In a remote corner of the world, there is a war going on.

MALE NEWS ANCHOR #1: Where starvation is being used as a weapon of war deliberately.

MALE NEWS ANCHOR #2: It's been a vicious war, and it's principal victims have been not the government troops or the rebels, but those caught in between.

FEMALE NEWS ANCHOR #2: Two million people may fall.

They will die slowly, but for those who know nothing about this war, and who starve in its crossfire, the cost may be unbearably high.

[cries] FEMALE NEWS ANCHOR #3: The discovery of oil is greeted by a country as a source of great prosperity, but in the Sudan, it has brought misery.

FEMALE NEWS ANCHOR #4: In recent months, thousands more people have fled the area.

The result, critics say, of a deliberate policy by Sudan's government to depopulate it.

We were just a source of resources.

And this is the sense that us South Sudanese had.

Uh, our land was important.

The people on it, not so much.

And we were, uh- um, second class.

[crickets] [birds chirping] [water splashing] GOUR: I was [indistinct].

A soldier persuaded me to go with- with him to move to his house.

[wind blowing] He said, I am going to increase your salaries.

I'm going to put you in school.

I wanted to honor my dad.

But then, I went there, and it turned out to be completely opposite of what the person was telling me.

[water splashing] [footsteps approaching] At the end of the year, I asked him, hey, I wanted to go.

I want to go back.

Uh, and I need the money that you promised me.

He said, no.

So, you have a choice.

Either you work for me, or I'll kill you.

That's when he start increasing the punishment.

He locked me in the house.

He tied me down in- in that small room, so I cannot go anywhere.

Will I be able to- to see my family again?

When were these kinds of punishment going to end?

If I had something closer there, a weapon or knife or something, I would've end my life.

[] My thought was, I'd rather die running than die in this room.

I believe it was kind of afternoon or so.

He was at work.

His wife went to the neighbor.

So, I just broke down the wall, and I got out.

Boom.

I ran.

[panting] [cheering] [] I learned that my older brother, were three of us left from my mom, was killed in 2002.

It made me powerless.

I didn't know what to do.

[cheering] I think it was two days before the New England championship in cross country.

I walk into my- my coach's office in high school, and I told him.

I said, it's over.

He said, what do you mean?

I said, I just lost my brother.

And- and I- I don't think I will continue running.

I said, no you're not.

You're not going to quit.

And I said, no, you're not gonna-- I'm not gonna let you do that.

I said, you do- I said, you don't see four years down the road from me.

I do.

I said, this is your ticket to college.

You get a college degree, you go out there, and you make something out of yourself.

And- and he said, you- your uncle is not going to pay for your college.

I'm not going to pay for your college.

You're not going to handle paying for your college.

So, choose.

I walk out there.

What he told me came- it went to my right ear and it got out my left ear.

Didn't go in my mind.

I thought he was crazy.

I thought he was not feeling the pain I was feeling.

My brother died, so I cannot bring his life back.

At the same time, I didn't want to give up.

So, I have to do something.

FEMALE ANNOUNCER #1: We start out in box two with the-- GOUR: So, I went to the championship.

FEMALE ANNOUNCER #1: Rhode Island team champions from Bishop Hendricken High School.

[gunshot] [distant cheering] GOUR: I was running with pain and tear in my eyes.

But I finished.

FEMALE ANNOUNCER #1: In fifth place, at 1546.40, from Concord, New Hampshire, a junior, Guor Marial.

[cheering] FEMALE ANNOUNCER #1: In fourth place... GOUR: I was top six in New England Championship.

And I came back, and I continue.

[birds chirping] COREY: I had an assistant at Iowa State that was, uh, doing some recruiting for me.

Um, and he came to the office and said, you know, I- I talked to this young man in- in New Hampshire named Guor, and I- I think he could potentially be really good.

Eventually, we were, like, let's bring him on a visit and get him on campus.

Um, and I think that's where I really got to the point where once I- once I met him, I saw that smile and getting to hear what he had to say about, um, what he wanted to accomplish in the future, you just knew this was an opportunity that it- it's gonna change his life.

[cheering] COREY: That first year, we could see that, okay, we've got something here.

You know, it's just gonna take a little bit of time.

I think the second and third year, he started to score in conference meets, started to do some great things for us in cross country, started to see, you know, that he was one of our main guys that we were gonna rely on.

TEAM MEMBER: Come on, come on, come on, come on, come on!

GOUR: Okay, I'm running, I'm running, I'm running, but something in my mind said, Olympics 2012.

Junior year, um, I- I road tripped with a couple friends to the Division One National Race in Terre Haute, Indiana, and we got to watch Guor run to All-American status.

So, that was pretty special.

[cheering] GOUR: In college, my mind always, always, all the time, twenty-four seven, thinking back home.

The guys and my teammate, I could laugh with them.

My coach, I could laugh with him, but inside me, my heart was always on fire.

You see?

Because of the situation.

And that is, how difficult it is when you have some people who are far away, and they are in- in a war zo- zone, and you don't have anything to do with it, and that's the thing.

Yeah.

This place was a thriving marketplace, full of traders and people coming around, doing their business.

And now, it has been reduced to almost- to nothing.

There used to be hundreds of cattle here being sold during the day every day.

Traders were coming to bring things, and to take the cattle away as part of their trade.

Everybody's being pushed away in order that the oil reserve's beneath this land may be exploited.

The two sides were like two cocks who were fighting, and they were just tired, and they were like that.

They'd had enough.

Mm.

And the only way out of it was peace deal.

No one was winning.

MALE NEWS ANCHOR #3: There's a peace deal to end the civil war in Sudan, which has killed more than two million people since 1983.

Secretary of State Powell was at the ceremony in Kenya where Sudan's vice president and the country's main rebel leader also signed on.

This coming January, the people of Sudan, Africa's largest country, will vote on whether the nation should split in two.

So, I want to show you something here.

This is the main intersection, and that is a clock, and it's counting down to the minute that the voting starts.

It was building up, and it was excitement, It was hope, it was chance, it was aspiration.

It was the fact that our own nation offered us the chance, uh, to- to hope.

FEMALE NEWS ANCHOR #5: The vote will decide whether to draw a border between the north, where mostly Arab and Muslim people live, and the south, populated mostly by blacks who are Christian.

I drove all the way to Nebraska.

We stand in the snow for seven hours to wait for vote.

There was a huge turnout at one of the voting stations set up at Forty-fifth and Fort.

All the South Sudanese, they came from all the way from Minnesota, Wisconsin, Colorado.

All the way they drive to- that was the closest center.

I- I just hope we have our own freedom.

MALE NEWS ANCHOR #5: Officials say preliminary results from Southern Sudanese referendum show that more than 99% of the voters in the south cast their ballots to secede from the north.

[cheering] I've never been proud like that.

More proud than any other human being.

[sniffs] But God's great.

We got our independence, our own country.

[trumpets playing] This is the birth of a new nation, and although beset by terrible problems, many people are optimistic that a fresh start for South Sudan... [] [crowd murmur] MALE ANNOUNCER #2: Eight o'clock means the start for the main event.

26.2 miles for all the glory.

Some looking to win, some looking to finish.

Some even searching to find more than that.

For Guor, he was running his first marathon.

He had a big goal.

His goal was to qualify for the Olympics.

You know, you don't often hear of someone jumping from the 10k up to the marathon.

It- it- it's not particularly advisable.

[chuckles] This here and... [crowd cheering] [] GOUR: First mile went out like crazy, and, uh, then they settle.

Just- I start pushing the pace.

You know?

Pushing the pace, pushing the pace.

And half way, the pace was still slow, until mile twenty.

And I was ninth place at that moment, and then last eight hundred meters, I caught three guys.

I was- I don't know where that energy came from, but I was just pretty much just sprinting like crazy, and I crossed the finish line.

I thought that my watch was wrong.

It was 2: 14, and I thought that that might not be right.

And the race organizer, Matt, he came and hugged me.

And he- he lift me up and he- he was very, very excited.

He said, Guor, you just qualified.

You just made the qualifying time A-standard.

And I kind of went, oh man.

BRAD: And it's remarkable that someone who had never run a marathon, you know, would- would have that confidence and self-belief that they could just turn up at the start line and- and qualify for the Olympics.

And- and that's exactly what he did.

You know, so Guor started reaching out to people in South Sudan to say, "Hey, you know, I- I qualified for the Olympics.

I'm South Sudanese.

I'd like to run."

MARK: There was this guy who suddenly was doing- turning in good times in marathons and- and didn't actually have a country that he was running for.

Now, there's kind of a problem there, because South Sudan had only just started to exist.

Um, so there was no National Olympic Committee, so therefore, he couldn't run for South Sudan.

Uh, so, we were left with this problem.

I was trying.

There was no solution and stuff, so when I- uh, Brad came in and said, you know, would you mind if I help you?

You know, I- I had let him know, you know, I'm happy to try and help you with this, but, you know, I- I think it's gonna- it's gonna cause a bit of a stir.

Like, it's- you're not gonna get in there quietly if you're gonna get in there.

He said, I know a guy who- he might- it might- he might help us.

I had the whole story, and I said, well, you know, where does this stand with the International Olympic Committee?

And- and, uh, I found that there had been work done, but it had all been based on the premise that Guor would compete for the Sudan.

Guor Marial qualified for the event, no problem there.

The 28 year old marathoner is from South Sudan, a country that only gained independence a year ago.

It doesn't have a National Olympic Committee yet.

So, the International Olympic Committee told Marial that he could compete at the London games if he ran for Sudan, which he doesn't wanna do.

Guor, tell us, first of all, why you don't want to run for Sudan.

JACOB: It was a tough decision.

It- it could've meant the end of his Ol- Olympic dream.

And for someone who had trained and- and devoted so much to this, you know, it's a really difficult decision to make.

Uh, but the choice that he took did nothing but really warm people's hearts to Guor.

Uh, amongst South Sudanese.

[] In the Olympic Charter, it says that, uh, the right to participate in sport is a basic human right.

And I've always been annoyed, uh, frustrated, and angry at the disconnect between the ideals that are expressed in the Olympic Charter, and the International Olympic Committee's unwillingness to stand by them, enforce them, or follow them.

Um, and so I said to my myself, here is a perfect, easy opportunity to the- for them to show the world that what is in that Olympic Charter actually means something.

And so I wrote the story, which advocated for the morally and ethically proper and easily fulfilled stance for the IOC which- let this guy in.

Let him compete as an independent Olympic athlete.

And from that point on, things began to accelerate.

Yeah, the media- the media coverage was intense.

I mean, it- it was global.

FEMALE NEWS ANCHOR #6: 28 year old Guor Marial has been called "The Man without a Country."

[speaks Portuguese] [speaks Russian] [speaks Korean] [speaks French] Guor Marial says it's the pride of South Sudan that pushes him to go further.

So, you basically outran your captors.

Did you think that running would be your future?

When I left Sudan, I said I will- I will never, never run again because I thought running is only for me to save my life.

I remember at one point, being advised that, you know, Guor, wasn't, you know, that- essentially, that Guor had two options.

He doesn't go to the Olympics or he goes, um, representing Sudan.

And- and I remember telling that person that no.

You know, there's a third option, and that's the one that we're gonna take.

MARK: You know, a top athlete who- who's turning in those sorts of times needs to run at the Olympics.

So, we then put together the plans that we needed, uh, at the Executive Board in London, ahead of the games, and they voted to allow Guor to- to run.

He could appear under the Olympic flag rather than from a nation.

GOUR: The guy called me.

He said, You are in.

[laughs] I woke up, and I was jumping around and I was jumping around!

I was kinda like, wow.

This is unbelievable.

The phone rang, and it was Guor.

And he said, Mrs. Coach... [laughs] Love that.

Mrs. Coach, I'm going.

And I was like, oh, Guor.

That's- I am just so proud of you.

And, um, his comment back to me, which just goes right down to my toes every time I hear it.

He said, um, "A tree can bear no fruit without its roots."

He says, "And you have been my root."

I called Guor, and I said, you know, you realize, Guor, that you're gonna have to compete in essentially a white uniform, and he said to me something that I'll- I'll never forget.

He said, doesn't make any difference.

I'll have South Sudan in my heart.

[airport announcements] GOUR: I land in Heathrow airport in London, and when we landed, they opened the door.

It was camera everywhere and my eyes was kinda- okay.

I'm- I'm in a- I am in a different territory.

[birds chirping] The Olympic Village was exciting.

You know, I mean, officially, we were the smallest team in Olympic history.

Okay, so we'll go to breakfast now?

Yeah, man.

I'm hungry.

You know, one athlete and one representative.

You know, and you contrast that with, you know, the U.S. team or the Russian team with hundreds of, uh, athletes and representatives, and here we were, just these two guys.

And it- it was- for us, it was exciting that way, you know.

I mean, it- it made us different, and, you know, and it reminded us of just what we had overcome to get there.

JAPANESE REPORTER: My name is [indistinct] from Japan.

Nice to meet you.

Uh, what message would you like to send to your family, friends, the South Sudanese people?

Uh, well, I just want to tell them that, you know, I love them so much, and I'm here for them.

Um, we'll sh- sh- bring a real awareness to- to the country, and hopefully the young generation in South Sudan will see me and will be able to dream high for next, uh, years to come.

BRAD: So, how you feeling?

Oh, not too bad.

Not too bad.

Feeling good.

BRAD: Excited?

Very excited.

Pumped.

Nervous.

BRAD: Yeah?

[chuckles] All, all good, though, yeah.

Everything was stacked against him in terms of having a good race in London.

It- it wasn't settin' up for him to go and run, you know, run a PR.

I mean, you know, the stress that he had been through, both in terms of the fight to get him to the Olympics, and also the- the- the mental and emotional stress of recounting his story ha- had taken a big toll on him.

My body was low.

I had low energy.

There was not much but excitement was just there.

I sound like- I was telling myself this is Olympic.

You know?

No matter how much- how tired I am, like, yeah, this is the day.

These are the best of the best, and I'm competing with them.

[] MALE ANNOUNCER #3: Ryan Hall, United States.

Tremendous record in Boston Marathon, particularly.

And Marilson Dos Santos of Brazil, who's won the New York Marathon, one of the great city marathons.

There will be millions upon millions of people watching this race keenly.

This day, nobody go to their work.

Everybody stay in the TV, and a lot of people come to my house.

A lot of people dancing, everybody happy.

[bang] [crowd cheering] [applause] JACOB: It's- it's a real sense of pride seeing a South Sudanese there.

Um, I couldn't miss it.

I had to be there, I had to see it, I had to cheer.

Uh, you know, I- I had to express my joy and elation at the fact that he was there.

I went to the local market, I bought the material.

The whole night, I was sewing the flag with my hand.

WOMAN: And I was thinkin, "Oh my God."

BRAD: Ah, here he is.

Let's go, Guor!

WOMAN: Come on, Guor!

BRAD: Looking good, Guor!

WOMAN: Come on, Guor, you're almost done!

BRAD: Well done, Guor!

WOMAN You're almost done!

JACOB: We all gathered on the corner, um, of the palace of Westminster.

And- and we made that- that little space South Sudan for the day.

Within the first ten K into the race, completely, my- my legs was just- my body shuts- shut it down completely.

I couldn't- my leg couldn't move, so I was kinda- is it going to be the way I'm going to drop in the race?

But then, I came around, and there were some group of South Sudanese along the way.

I saw them, almost like thirty or something, South Sudanese were on the side.

[singing] So, I made my way out, tried to show myself to them.

And I get out and I waved them.

They completely almost jum- jump into the- into the road- into the course and try to- to grab me, and they were just dancing.

They were just dancing.

And we just went wild.

We were just screaming, screaming.

[continued singing / chanting] And then when he came, he was blowing kisses, and we just getting mad more about him!

[cheering] And that one, that moment that pushed me and said no matter what, how hot or how tired I am, I'd rather walk and finish the race.

I don't care.

I have to because of these people.

[cheering] And I knew that if I crossed that finishing line, it's not going to be me who crossed that finishing line.

The people of South Sudan.

The refugees, who I represent, all were the one I did that for them.

I didn't care about the position, I didn't care about the time.

REPORTER: How did you experience this, uh, first Olympic experiences?

Whatever I didn't do today, the young kids out there, in the country, they are going to do it one day for sure.

There's no question about it.

I hope so.

When the race ended, we weren't ready, uh, to let it finish there.

Uh, we were- we were really fired up, and we walked down, um, towards Trafalgar Square, um letting everyone know in no uncertain terms, uh, that we were South Sudanese, uh, and that South Sudan was a part of, uh, the Olympics, and our Olympian had just run a really good race.

[singing] [continued singing / chanting] MARINA: Well, you know, we- we- we want to see him.

Just to say thank you, the feeling that he give us, the- the situation that he put us in, and we need him.

We need him.

Especially those days once our Sudan is falling apart, we need a person like Guor Marial.

He keep us, like, oh, no, no, no, no.

We still there.

Our country's still there.

We can make it.

Yeah.

We just need him.

[chuckles] Uh, Guor, I don't know if you've recovered yet, uh, from your twenty-six mile run.

Uh, but we're just recovering, those of us who had the pleasure of being there to support you, from cheering you on, huh?

Across those, uh, across all those miles.

And, uh, no doubt had you had the resources that, uh, those two Kenyans had, and the Ugandan had, you'd- you'd be giving them a run for their money.

Right now.

[chuckles] [applause] Since I- I saw him on the CNN, and then the title was A Runner Without a Country.

It just upset me.

Because that country... two million died because of that country.

I say no, it's not gonna happen.

When my husband came home, I just told him, I say, okay, we are going to go on Sunday.

You are gonna be there.

I just went to the market, I bought the material, I sewed the flag with my hands, one for me, one for my husband and my kids.

[cheering] And when we went there, and when you were running, and then my kids just told me, I don't know, Mommy, when I saw Guor were running, there was some feeling.

They don't know what that feeling was.

And then I told them.

I said that you are proud.

That feeling is that you are proud.

May God bless you, may God bless your families, may God bless our country, South Sudan, and may you- may God give you strength to inspire so many, many, many people in the future.

So, this one's to [indistinct] Guor.

Cheers!

Cheers!

[cheering] [] Oh, my God.

BILL GALLAGHER: Do you remember saying goodbye to your mom and dad?

GOUR: Yes, and my dad wasn't happy.

But at the same time, he said, okay, you know.

I think that that's the best way.

[] [cries] Guor!

[speaks foreign language] [] I never feel like this before, you know.

It's just- it's just amazing.

This is home, you know?

There's nothing I can- nothing like it.

I'm home now, you know.

So, uh, I'm thankful I have country now, and, uh, this is the flag I'm holding, basically.

I hope I hold it London.

I mean, in, uh, in Rio in 2016.

Being able to go and see the family for the first time, it was kind of scary.

Will I be able to recognize my family?

I was just kind of dreaming.

Is it real?

[speaking in foreign language] [] [wind blowing] [whimpers] [cries] [gasping] [sobs] [groans] Oh, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo.

[speaks foreign language] [speaks foreign language] [breathes heavily] [whimpers] My mom.

My mom.

[cries] Yeah.

Mm-hm.

Yeah.

Guor?

Yeah.

GOUR: My dad trusts in me a lot.

Cause, yeah, he knew I would be something, you know?

And, he said, you know, one day you're going to be the leader of the house.

As a young boy, so... but he had- he had- he had no choice but to let me go.

Right.

Mm-kay.

[speaks foreign language] Mm.

[speaks foreign language] Mm.

I was sad for that long period of time.

I- and I- and I thought that they did not like me.

The reason they send me away at that young age.

But now, I am grown man.

I understood that this opportunity is going to allow me to do something so that a child in the- in the South Sudan or my child or the relatives don't go through what I have gone through, the experience.

Because I know it's the most painful thing to live without your family.

[speaks foreign language] Oh, okay.

[speaks foreign language] I look back and I say, "Thank God.

He allowed me to get through, to jump all these hurdles.

You saved me, and I'm here.

But I- I must keep moving.

I must keep moving forward to do something."

The pictures when he did see his mother... yeah, very hard.

And just thinking about them now.

[camera click] To me, one of the most heart wrenching experiences.

And as a mother, my perspective from- on that was, "Oh, my God, he's got to leave her again."

And yet, he knew he had to because formulating his need and his desire to help the youth of Sudan, and that was gonna be his mission.

Okay.

One, two, three.

He had more focus than he had ever had on doing the work to help South Sudan form an Olympic committee, and an athletics program, and to really commit himself to train the next generation of South Sudanese athletes.

There was one kid, named Lobur.

Lobur, I connect with him on the- on Facebook, and he took me to the- where they do practice of the South Sudan's National Team.

One, two, three, four, five.

These are the kids who wanted to be the national hero by representing the country.

And unfortunately, no one's acknowledging them.

They're just training there, and they go home.

Even when they go home, nothing to- pretty much to survive on.

These kids, I asked them why do you guys come to practice?

GUOR: I went here with two bags, all my training clothes.

So, I went there and give, give all of them to them.

My brother and my relative, they were complaining wh- what- what are you doing?

What are you doing?

I said, I don't care.

This is my family.

I have to support them.

A runner is special...

I will do everything I can for you guys.

So, and that opportunity, I don't want just me to have it.

All of you, I want you guys to have the same opportunity.

This is where we're going to start our- our mission in South Sudan.

I know you all have, uh, a lot of questions, so first of all, I'll ask Guor just to say a few words, and then we'll open up the floor, uh, to all of you, so Guor?

Thank you.

[] My next race is very important.

It's going to give me opportunity to go to the Olympics.

It's a ticket.

It's my ticket.

Yes, Olympics is a dream, but if you don't have a ticket, you cannot go.

[crowd cheering] [shot] [cheering] [] COREY: Any time you get to the top of the mountain, it's really hard to recreate that and get back there.

And I think it's complicated with Guor too, because I think everything Guor's done, he's worked hard and got his reward.

So, if I can work even harder in running, I'll get even better.

And that's not always the case in distance running.

Sometimes, less is more.

I tried my best, but it was just within 10K, I was completely out of it .

[breathes heavily] I got injured.

[] I'm going to Kenya to continue on my training for the Olympic 2016.

I hope to- to bring South Sudanese runners, uh, with me to Kenya.

And so when 2016 comes around, they will be ready to represent the country.

MALE NEWS ANCHOR #9: The training sessions are gathering momentum day by day.

What captures my attention, though, is this group of athletes who may easily be mistaken for Kenyans, but no, they hail from Africa's youngest nation, South Sudan.

Running with the group is- it's the most important thing as a distant runner to have the people who are faster than you where they can motivate you, by working in with the- the best of the best in the world.

This program, if I follow specifically and correctly, and do everything else that I'm supposed to do, then most likely, I will- I will be, like, I will reach my potential.

[] OLIVIER: We start reading stories about him trying to qualify from- for Rio, and we heard about the fact that he was, uh- uh, struggling a little bit financially to- to cover the cost, uh, linked to the- to the Olympic qualification.

As you know, you need to participate in different races.

Uh, you need to travel the world which is very, very expensive.

And we have a program of- of a scholarship which is to support athletes trying to qualify.

He really said that he would do anything to qualify for Rio, and, um, this is where we thought that probably we could start helping him.

So, we had to establish a procedure with him, but we don't want to- to sponsor him directly without having nobody in South Sudan being aware.

So, we obviously talked to the Federation and made sure that the- the National Federation was supporting this.

My understanding from what I've seen and heard and read, is that he was grant- Guor was granted a scholarship by the International Olympic Committee.

And, you know, it was his understanding that that money was supposed to be entirely for his training.

Um, and the- the National Federation in South Sudan had a different interpretation of that.

[call ringing] Okay, this is a message.

Can you see it clearly?

BILL GALLAGHER: I cannot.

It's hard to see.

BILL GALLAGHER: Can you- can you read it to us?

[] The Athletics Federation was- they wanted the funding to come to them, and then they can give it to Guor Marial, but I thank God that didn't happen.

Because Guor Marial would never get anything.

The corruption was very high, pe- people are just thinking about how to get more money.

But Guor Marial was thinking about how to make South Sudanese proud, and he give us that feeling.

OLIVIER: It's true that at some point, we were a little bit worried about how it would go because our aim was to help.

And, uh, it became a conflictive situation with distracting him from- from his training.

[] [birds chirping] GUOR: I struggled a lot when I went to Kenya.

Was it change of climate or diet or something, like, is it something, uh-- I had a hard time to understand what was the problem.

I was weak.

My muscle were just all shaking and I sometimes sweat and all of that.

But when I- I went to the doctor and they checked my blood level, they check all these- pretty much everything in my body.

They found everything was okay except my, uh, hemoglobin was very, very low.

BILL GALLAGHER: Did you have malaria?

They said I had malaria, but... Yeah.

So, I was very, very weak every time I tried to train.

I just hang on for daily and try to push myself and all of that, it was just- was just not working.

And now we, uh, move on to another very important point of, uh, our agenda.

And this is, uh, the point number twelve, the recognition of a National Olympic Committee and, uh, here I, uh, ask, uh, Mr. Pere Miro to present to us the, uh, case of, uh, South Su- Sudan.

Mr. Miro.

Thank you, I thank you, Mr. President.

Well, you know that, uh, South Sudan is called actually the newest country of the world.

Uh, in fact, South Sudan as country gained independence only in twenty eleven.

But, uh, let's say the situation of the country since independence has not been easy.

It has not been easy because since 2013, at least, they have a really, a very important political crisis with very close to let's say internal war.

But during all this time, you can be sure that we have not forgotten the athletes.

H.H.

SHEIK: Before we encourage people to approve them, we have to apologize to them that we cannot work with them in the last three years when they have the difficult time.

But never too late.

Thank you very much, Mr. President.

Thank you, Pere Miro.

I encourage my colleague here to approve, uh, South Sudan as the two-oh-six member in the National Olympic Committees.

Thank you very much.

Thank you, very much.

THOMAS BACH: Are there questions?

No?

Then, uh, on behalf of, uh, all the IOC member and the Olympic Movement, I would like to officially welcome the newest member of our Olympic family, the National Olympic Committee of, uh, South Sudan.

[laughs] Congratulations, man.

THOMAS BACH: Congratulations on becoming our two hundred and sixth member.

Oh, my God.

We have been working hard.

THOMAS BACH: I would also like to thank the Sudanese National Olympic Committee who has been a real partner/friend to their South Sudanese neighbors.

And I would like to invite the president of the... [] GOUR: Right now, I am preparing for Ottawa Marathon.

It is my last chance.

The more I struggle, the more it push me, actually, to- to be more determined than I have been before.

[] [crowd cheering] [siren] [cheering] MALE REPORTER #6: We're also following some of the athletes who are participating in this event as a- a last shot at Rio Olympics.

And one of those is Guor Maker of South Sudan, who is trying to achieve a two-nineteen in order to qualify for the Rio Olympics.

MARINA: He got something special in him, and we pray every day for God to let him qualify.

COREY: You know, he's had the weight of his country on his shoulders for how long?

And now, all of a sudden, can he get that weight off his shoulders?

[cheering] BYSTANDER #1: Alright, come on!

[cheering] BYSTANDER #2: Guor!

Woo!

BYSTANDER #3: Let's go, let's go!

Wait, wait, wait, wait.

GUOR SUPPORTER #1: Hey!

Have the other runners go this- gone this way?

BYSTANDER #3: Uh, no.

GUOR SUPPORTER #1: No?

He's the first?

He's the first!

BYSTANDER #4: We're supposed to be going that way.

GUOR SUPPORTER #1: Guor's supposed to be going that way.

BYSTANDER #3: How did that happen?

GUOR SUPPORTER #1: I don't know, but we gotta let him know.

[] [cheering] JOHN: It sounds to me like there was some confusion at the point where we have the half marathon and the marathon courses, uh, split apart.

It's- it's a terrible, terrible unfortunate incident.

[] Today, we have a report from South Sudan.

Two years after independence in 2011, a civil war started.

[gunshot] MALE NEWS ANCHOR #10: The fighting began in the capital, Juba, in December 2013, when President Salva Kiir accused his sect deputy, Riek Machar, of planning a coup.

It has served to split South Sudan along ethnic lines.

Broadly speaking, the Dinka communities supporting Kiir, and the Nuer backing Machar.

MALE TV GUEST: But who are the perpetrators?

FEMALE TV GUEST: You know, our leaders are using the name of their crimes in order for them to cling to power.

[hollers] JACOB: Some of these Southern Sudanese brothers, especially those who stayed behind, have known nothing but war.

They've been deeply traumatized by war.

Communities have suffered at the hands of other South Sudanese communities.

I mean, South Sudan fought South Sudan as much as it fought North Sudan during the war of independence and liberation.

And people weren't quite ready to let go of the hurt, um, that we had caused each other.

[shouts indistinctly] [gunfire] I am here today to send a simple message to all of you.

We're once again fighting against one another.

We have [indistinct] tribes and when different in strength, all this strength, our power.

So, instead of eliminating one another, we should be using one another to build the country in a peaceful way.

[sing in foreign language] GUOR: I want your next generation to be happy, to care one another, to grow ahead as one South Sudanese.

[speak in foreign language] [gunfire] MALE ANNOUNCER #4: Away in the 2016 Gold Coast Airport Marathon.

And they are underway.

Thousands and thousands of runners, and today is pretty much the last day.

Uh, entries or- or qualifying period ends tomorrow on Monday, so a lot of these runners have really come here, packed their bags, and hoping to be able to qualify for their respective Olympic teams.

[] If there's one thing that unifies a fractious country like South Sudan, it's sporting heroes.

It'll happen with Guor.

He will be a unifying figure for South Sudan, and his success will be our success.

[] We're all the victims of- of- of circumstance.

Some choose to dwell too much on that, let it become who they are.

And- and they give up.

[] Guor represents something that- that is in direct opposite to that.

He has suffered.

He- he- he has taken all of that hurt, and he's redirected it to positive energies.

[] He said, what can I do?

It cannot get worse.

So, how good can it get?

[cheering] [] [] GUOR SUPPORTER #4: Whoa, slow down.

Yep, turn here.

BYSTANDER #4: Come on, man!

You can do it!

BYSTANDER #5: You're alright!

Good job!

[cheering] BYSTANDER #6: You need help?

BYSTANDER #7: Keep going!

[cheering] [] [] [] [] I question a lot.

I did question myself a lot because I have gone through a lot.

Financially, issues.

Because me- I'm- I'm holding myself as- as- as a professional runner.

At same time, I'm not getting anything from it.

And also, I am not getting a- a full time job or work in the real world to even make a living.

I'm just kind of in the between.

I went to grad school, I got a good degrees.

If I could have gotten a job, my family would be living in a happy, happy life right now.

But they're still poor as we're speaking.

They still struggle.

My dad was ill. All of this one.

My dad was sick, my mom was sick, I lost my uncle, I don't have a job.

My mind was almost to explode.

And you know what?

Enough is enough.

I wanted to help my family.

[] [] ...we thought that it was, uh, very important to deliver one invitation to Guor to take part in the games.

[] [] OLYMPIC ANNOUNCER: Ladies and gentlemen, the great moment has arrived.

They have traveled from all the corners of the earth and have spent a lifetime training for this moment.

Please welcome the athletes of the Games of the 31st Olympics.

[cheering] [cheering] [] [] [cheering] [] I struggle so much... to be able to come this far is amazing, so...

I guess wait for Sunday.

See what I can do.

But I just want- I thank God.

I'm here.

We made it.

It was a long journey.

[gunshot] [cheering] FEMALE INTERVIEWER #3: You'll never erase the past.

You know, you lost, we understand, twenty-eight members of your family in the civil war.

GUOR: Yes.

FEMALE INTERVIEWER #3: Does- did competing in the Olympics help you move on from that?

Or maybe you never move on, I don't know.

GUOR: Well, you know, a- a life loss is something that you cannot move on, but it's something you always remember.

But you have to do something positive to replace that.

[on television in foreign language] FEMALE INTERVIEWER #3: It's a reminder too to the millions of new refugees that- not to give up hope.

GUOR: Correct.

Uh, and I hope this would, uh, be an example for all the refugees across the world to not lose hope.

They might think this is the end of the world for them, but there is always a next day.

[cheering] Oh, man, we did it!

[laughs] We did it.

We did it.

South Sudan.

That's it.

[]