Man who hates running takes part in monthly half marathon for charity

KPIX

By John Ramos

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SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (KPIX) — Sunday morning marked the 15th annual “The Giant Race,” a 5K, 10K and half-marathon that started and ended at Oracle Park on San Francisco’s waterfront. Among the thousands of participants was a young man who ran to help exploited children, and he did it with a symbolic twist.

Grant Clark loves his job so much that he’s willing to do things he hates.

“I’ve always hated running,” he said. “I hated running as a kid, so I started this 10 months ago, just to try it out, do something new and push myself a little bit.”

The 24-year-old works for a Bay Area organization called Special Operations Finding Kids, which hires private investigators to help find and recover children who are being trafficked for sexual exploitation. To raise money and awareness, Clark has committed to running a half marathon every month for the rest of the year, but he’s adding an extra challenge: He’ll be running with his hands tied together to symbolize the captivity of children.

“It’s a life sentence for these kids, because they’ve been through that trauma, because it stays with them forever,” Clark said. “And for me, running with my hands tied is a small challenge compared to what they have to do their whole lives.”

On Sunday, it was the Giant Race half marathon. With his friend Carter Young as a pacer, Clark set out on the 12.1-mile trek along the city’s waterfront. It was his sixth run, with races in Miami, Los Angeles and San Diego.

“This running path has put me on a path that I never thought I would be on,” Clark said. “It’s obviously a little surreal to have my family here supporting me, someone running with me. It’s all — I’m very blessed for that.”

While his parents are fully supportive, his father, Jeff Clark, says he also worries about the psychological burden their son carries in fighting a dark practice like human trafficking.

“From my perspective as a father, I’m obviously very proud of it and it also worries me a little bit because it’s such an emotional issue,” he said. “I can’t imagine the toll it takes on you when you’re constantly seeing stories and now your son is involved in those stories and trying to help in a good way. But still, you know, the pressure is there.”

Clark is motivated by the pressure he puts on himself. When he entered the stadium and crossed the finish line, he was grateful that escaping slavery was as easy as untying a piece of rope.

“When I first put out the video saying I was going to do this whole initiative, it was a little scary because I’ve never run more than two miles in my life,” Clark said. “Now we’re on number six, so that feels good. I mean, every day brings a new gift. I’m very blessed to be in the position that I’m in and I’m just excited to keep doing it.”

Now it’s time for the next run, where he continues his mission to find joy in doing something he hates.

Clark’s goal is to raise $75,000 for Special Operations Finding Kids by the end of the year. For more information, visit: findingkids.org.

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