Minnesotan left comfort zone to help those in need

Nearly four years ago, Tara Livesay gave up her steady job, her comfortable home and running on the relaxing roads of rural Minnesota.

She moved her family to impoverished Haiti to work as a volunteer to battle the country's health issues.

"When we saw all the poverty in Haiti," Livesay said, "we decided there was more to life than having two cars, a boat and a cushy life. God was asking us to leave our comfort zone and do something to help here."

Running Sunday's Twin Cities Marathon is one of the ways she will help. Livesay, 37, has secured about $53,000 to aid malnourished children, getting pledges from people in 42 states and eight countries.

But getting ready in Haiti for a marathon wasn't easy. The uneven streets in Port-au-Prince are clogged. Drivers are reckless. Temperatures are searing. Americans are sometimes kidnapped.

So when Livesay decided to start training, she expected danger.

"As I was running on the side of the road [in August], a huge tourist bus brushed me on the left shoulder," she said. "I stopped dead in my tracks.

"On every run, I'd feel pressure. All kinds of people have pledged money. I did not want to break a leg or get hit by car."

Livesay is usually on the road by 6 a.m. She starts with an 18-ounce bottle in each hand. Her husband, Troy, often meets her with refills. The temperature climbs into triple digits, and the humidity swells as well.

That is quite a change from their Minnesota lives. In January 2006, the Livesays sold their house in Zimmerman, north of Elk River, and moved to Haiti. Tara starting running again last year at the urging of Beth McHoul, a running friend.

When her parents visited Haiti in May, Livesay told her mother that she was going to train for the Twin Cities Marathon.

Her mother objected because of the dangers, but Livesay had a rebuttal. "I said, 'What if I raise money for malnourished kids in Haiti?' " Livesay said. "If I raise $2,600 [$100 per mile] maybe I can find someone to match for a total amount of $5,200."

Carolyn Porter knew then she couldn't stop her daughter. "When Tara runs in Haiti, I don't like it," Porter said, "but she has a purpose."

Medika Mamba

Livesay, a former swimmer at Osseo High School, ran both Grandma's Marathon in Duluth and the Twin Cities Marathon in 2005. She completed both in slightly less than five hours.

"I'm not a natural runner, but I enjoy it," said Livesay, who started a pledge drive May 26 on livesayhaiti.blogspot.com. By Wednesday, the total reached $53,000.

"Mostly they are people I do not know who have donated to help," Livesay said. "On Sunday, I guess I will be an emotional wreck, crying for half of [the marathon]. For every mile I run, we will receive $2,000, and that's going to help treat severely malnourished kids."

Two Haitian children who were once starving live with the Livesays. The family adopted Hope when she was 9 months old. Now she is 7 and healthy. They took Renald, 3 1/2, into their home June 23 when he weighed 13 pounds. His desperate mother had brought him to a rescue center the Livesays were working at that week. Last week, Renald was up to 23 pounds, and soon he will be reunited with his mother.

"Four times a day, we feed him Medika Mamba," Livesay said. Medika Mamba -- Creole words for peanut butter medicine --is made in Haiti and fortified with vitamins and minerals, said Livesay, whose marathon money will feed more than 500 malnourished children at Haiti's rescue centers for 60 to 90 days, long enough for them to recover.

"Kids love it," Livesay said, "It's like the middle of a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup. That's why it works."

Making the move

The Livesays -- who now have seven children, including three who were adopted -- learned about the suffering in Haiti while adopting Isaac, now 8, and Hope in 2002. In Minnesota, Troy worked for a telecommunication company and Tara sold medical supplies. They quit those jobs to work without pay -- family and friends support them -- for a Christian organization called World Wide Village based in St. Paul.

Tara said they teach Haitian women essentials such as how to properly care for their babies and how to ensure their drinking water is safe.

"They are our feet on the streets in Haiti," said Randy Mortensen, president of World Wide Village. "And we are in awe of the amount of money Tara has raised for Medika Mamba. She has been so brave the way she has endured the taunts of the military and the local men on the street corners." There are 8,000 United Nations peacekeeping troops in Haiti.

The Livesays face more risks that catcalls, however. Their house in Haiti is surrounded by a concrete wall, which has broken glass on top to prevent intruders. And last month, most of her family came down with malaria. "We can't keep mosquitoes out of our house, and they bit everyone," she said. "... It caused fatigue and anemia and made for a rough couple weeks."

Tara, Troy and three of their children arrived in the Twin Cities on Tuesday night. Her anticipation for Sunday is building. She won't even have to carry bottles; there are 14 water stops along the way.

"One of my favorite things was running on the beautiful country roads in the fall under gorgeous temperatures," Livesay said. "I'm excited to run in a mild environment and where your feet land on a flat surface.

"The marathon feels like a bit of a break."