No challenge too big for Boston Marathon runner

Serghino René

Ibrahim Khonteh is not your typical high school student. A senior at English High School, he has been proactive in the community and has refused to take a back seat in making a difference. This is Khonteh’s second Boston Marathon and he will run to raise money in support of community health programs for domestic violence, HIV, the teen health center at English High and other related causes.

“I want to challenge myself in the marathon,” says Khonteh. “I don’t want to start something and not finish.”

Since coming from Sierra Leone in 2002, Khonteh has taken advantage of every opportunity he could put his hands on. He works part-time at Stop & Shop and has participated in a number of community programs, providing service through organizations like Teen Empowerment, Bikes Not Bombs and Mytown.

Teen Empowerment is a program that helps students express their concerns about what’s going on in their schools and neighborhoods. Khonteh participates in discussions at school to determine non-violent solutions to solving problems.

“It could be through song, poetry. ... We find a way to deliver the message,” says Khonteh.

Bikes Not Bombs is an organization that works for alternative transportation and community development. During the summer, they teach kids how to fix bikes, as well as go for bike rides. At the end of the program they get to keep the bike. Khonteh gave his services to the organization by helping with office work and other administrative tasks.

Mytown (Multicultural Youth Tour of What’s Now) is an organization that shares local history to empower young people and build appreciation of urban neighborhoods. Through this program, Khonteh visited South Carolina where he provided services to the Cherokee tribe, went to Minnesota where he was able to learn English and help a local family, and traveled to Australia where he lived on a farm and helped the residing family with their daily activities.

He feels he has been given the opportunity to make something of himself through the helping people in the community, including the group at the Brookside Community Health Center in Jamaica Plain.

“I want to raise money for the community and I want to give back,” says Khonteh. “I want to go to college and study international relations. By understanding different countries I want to start my own organization and figure out ways to give back to people in need. I love to help people.”

Jo-Ann Dillman, a nurse practitioner at Brookside Community Health Center, met Khonteh while she worked at English High’s teen health center. She had a picture of herself running the Boston Marathon some years ago in her office and Khonteh was curious enough to ask what event she was running. After her explanation, he was inspired to run his first marathon.

“Last year he ran as a ‘back of the pack’ runner, but this year he qualified to get an official number,” says Dillman.

Oscar Ponce, sports health coordinator for Urban Youth Sports, which is affiliated with the Brookside Community Health Center, has been Khonteh’s trainer. The program focuses on promoting a healthy lifestyle and a positive outlook on life.

Coming from similar backgrounds, Ponce and Khonteh had an immediate connection. Ponce was born an American citizen, but his family returned to Mexico only months after his birth.

“We moved from Mexico to Denver when I was 14 years old,” says Ponce. “I wasn’t under the same circumstances as [Khonteh], but my family came to the United States for a better life.”

Through running, Ponce was able to receive an athletic scholarship to the University of Colorado and obtain his present job. He acknowledges that through the help of others, he was able to make something of himself and he feels it is his responsibility to give back in any way he can.

“Ibrahim is Brookside,” says Ponce. “He not only takes a stand on social justice, but he wants to give back. He’s with us.”

Through their training, Ponce tries to link Khonteh’s training to real life situations.

“I believe he already has a sense of this, but through our training we try to connect running to real life circumstances,” says Ponce. “In life, you have to set goals and to get to those goals, you have to put in the work.”

In stark contrast to life in the United States, Khonteh has faced hardships that have added perspective to his experience. He came to Boston in March of 2002 with the hope of experiencing a better life.

“There was a war going on in my country,” said Khonteh. “I had aunts that lived [in Boston] and my mother wanted me to have a better life.”

Khonteh was fourteen at the time and he vividly remembers moments when he was in hiding because rebels were looking for young men, like Khonteh, to fight in the war. He recalls rebels once coming to his home looking for money, threatening to burn down his home if his mother didn’t comply.

“Rebels came to my house and pushed my mom,” said Khonteh. “My mother gave them all the money she had, but they beat her anyway. I had to hide because if they found me they would take me away and put drugs into me. They may have given me a gun afterwards and the drugs could have made me do violent things without me knowing.”

Moreover, finding food was a daily task. In the United States, he says, we are fortunate enough to go to the supermarket and stock up the cabinets and refrigerators for the week or longer. “Back home, we gathered enough food for that day only,” says Khonteh.

For Khonteh, the marathon stretches far beyond just reaching a numerical goal. The reasons for running have a deeper meaning. Through non-profit organizations like the Brookside Community Health Center and Urban Youth Sports, Khonteh was able to find his motivation and experience the American dream. Running in support of community health is a starting point to his personal mission of helping others.

“We hope that with [Khonteh] running, he will inspire others to challenge themselves,” says Dillman.