Why I am Part of Team Lifewater, by Julius Achon

I was born the eldest of nine children in a small poor village in the Lira District of northern Uganda. In 1988, at the age of twelve, I was abducted by rebels from the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) to train as a child soldier.

Three months later, I escaped from the child soldier camp with fifteen other kidnapped children from my village. We walked one hundred miles in three days. Many times we were forced to crawl to keep below rebel gunfire. A government plane mistook us for rebel soldiers and fired at us. Nine children were killed. Only six of us made it home.

I went back to school in 1989, which was five miles away from my village. I would run to school and back each day. Just for fun, I decided to try competitive running at my primary school. I ran the 400 meters, 800 meters, 1500 meters and 3 kilometers and won all four races. Thus began my running career. I was awarded a scholarship for my running to high school in Kampala, the capital of Uganda, from 1990 to1994. I ran barefoot and coached myself until I was seventeen years old, when I was chosen to represent Uganda at the World Junior Championships in Portugal in 1994. That’s where I wore running shoes for the first time and won the 1500 meters.

Present at the meet was a distance coach at George Mason University. He offered me a scholarship that brought me to America. I helped George Mason win its first NCAA championship, and was twice an NCAA champion and set an NCAA record for 800 meters of 1:44:55 that exists to this day. In 1996,

I participated in the Olympic Games in Atlanta and went on to take part in the 2000 Olympic Games as well as running for Uganda. Both times I carried the Ugandan flag into the Olympic Stadium. I was also chosen for the 2004 Olympic Games to represent Uganda a third time but declined to compete due to a family tragedy. My mother was murdered by rebels just before the Athens Olympics.

In 2007, I created the Achon Uganda Children’s Fund, which supports twenty-one orphan children. Please visit achonugandachildren.org to learn more or make a donation. I am also connected with Lifewater International. I am running for Team Lifewater in the Wildflower Triathlon in May 2010 to help the people of northern Uganda by raising money for safe water wells. Visit TeamLifewater.org for more information.

Julius Visits California’s Central Coast and Shatters Triathlon Course Record, by Matt Lafferty, Special Events Coordinator

Julius Achon arrived at our local airport late Tuesday night with a huge grin on his face. We were both excited to see what God would do with the week ahead.

Julius’s schedule was filled with speaking engagements to share his story of transformation, but before he got started, Julius wanted to go running with me. The conclusion of that trial was that I apparently run at a “chicken pace”!

Julius spoke on numerous university campuses including Cal Poly, UC Santa Barbara, and many organizations; Campus Crusade for Christ, Invisible Children, CalPoly Tri Club, and churches and youth groups. These venues gave him an opportunity to explain the needs of the orphans in his northern Uganda village and especially the need for safe water, affirming the importance of Lifewater International’s work. At UC Santa Barbara over 500 students heard Julius’ story of being a forced child soldier and then how he became a two time Olympian. When he finished, the audience gave him a standing ovation.

Before competing with Team Lifewater at the Wildflower triathlon, Julius’s story was published in thousands of race programs, so people were anxious to see how his relay team would do. While he was racing, I heard rumors of him passing the triathlon support motorcycle going uphill. This turned out to be more than a rumor—it was true! Julius said the hills and heat of the day were an advantage because he likes both of them.

The swimmer on Julius’s team (Tim Black from the Cal Poly Tri Club) started the swim on the last wave but still came out of the water in third place. Then cyclist Kevin Rouse (also from the Cal Poly Tri Club) finished second out of all the waves. Julius ran 5:08 minute miles for 6.2 miles, setting a new course record. This is pretty significant, considering that the Wildflower Triathlon has been in existence for 28 years. The team finished over seventeen minutes ahead of everyone in the Olympic Relay, setting a new relay record. The early finish got the crowd cheering and stunned the announcer. After the race, Julius said, “Tim, Kevin and I fought like a lion to crush it for Team Lifewater.” www.TeamLifewater.org

Julius is continuing with his advocacy of the need for safe water in Northern Uganda and around the world. He’s also continuing his fundraising efforts to build a medical clinic for the orphans he supports in his village through his own nonprofit: www.achonugandachildren.org

Having Julius here was something I’ll never forget—nor will anyone else who met him, heard his story, or saw him run.