AUC’s National Champion:
Getting by from day to day is a major
struggle for many, if not most Haitian people. In this context, personal fitness, or serious athletic pursuits take a back seat. That said, there is a surprising level of athletic activity in the Cayes area. One example is Gédéon Valnet. During the day, Gédéon is a parttime AUC student, in his second year of the community college accounting program.

In the early mornings, though, is where he really thrives. Gédéon is the premiere distance runner in Haiti. His personal best in the halfmarathon is 1hour and 6 minutes and personal best in the full 26 mile marathon is 2 hours and 29 minutes. He maintains a feverish training regimen, running upwards of 60 miles a week in the crazy traffic on Cayes’ only paved road, Route Nationale. Added to this are beach runs for strength, weight training, and swimming. Unfortunately, the Haitian racing scene is sparse, and Gédéon supports his running addiction without any sponsorship, or coaching, making his accomplishments all the more impressive. Gédéon will compete in the Jamaican cross-country competition in February, si Dye vle (if God is willing). His dream is to race in a major North American marathon, “because I want to run with the best!”