Cuban native Alexis Garcia has not forgotten where he came from or his roots.
He saw a need for kids to have shoes in his poverty-stricken homeland, and instead of raising money the natural way to buy scores of foot ware, he’s taken a different route.
Garcia, 53, will run across the entire country, 1,000 miles in 35 days, as his support team will document his journey that is set to begin on Tuesday, November 10, from the eastern most point, Punta de Maisi, to the western most point, Cabo de San Antonio.
The Miami Lakes K-8 Center physical education teacher said his coach, Lisa Smith-Batchen and Sister Marybeth Lloyd, have inspired him to help raise money through the Dreamchaser foundation for the kids in Cuba.
“I want to raise as much money as I can to buy running sneakers for as many Cuban children as possible, hopefully all of them,” he said. “I know from real life experience anything is possible. I want to show every child in Cuba dreams really can come true.”
The Miami Lakes resident said he will run at least 30 miles per day until he reachers his goal.
His wife, Marlene Garcia, will be running with him, running five to 10 miles a day.
Garcia, an avid runner, was born in Cardenas, Cuba, and arrived in the United States on a make-shift boat 23 years ago.
He depicted his experience in the waters as a 55-hour nightmare through the Florida Straits.
“My level of gratitude for my life and the opportunities American Freedom has given me cannot be measured,” he said. “My goal also includes documenting the historic run event and the Cuban spirit on film.”
Garcia has spent months training for his long journey across Cuba., the biggest challenge of his running career.
But he’s up to it.
Daily, he has been running, walking, swimming and biking about 100 miles a week to help him prepare for the long journey.
To help reach his goal, his school is asking parents to support his cause by donating new sneakers, children’s size, to the PTSA office.
He said, so far, the school has collected 40 new pairs of sneakers.
“Every single sneaker will bring a change to a kid’s life,” Garcia said.
To donate shoes visit www.runacrosscuba.com.