Sandra Cotuna

Can you tell me about your upbringing? Who were your role models in childhood?

Sandra Cotuna: I grew up in Romania under a communist dictatorship. My family was poor. Food, energy, and water were rationed. It was in the 80’s, right at the height of the Cold War. It was rough at points but I consider myself very lucky. My mom and dad were amazing role models. Despite the brutal totalitarian regime, I had a happy childhood. I was blessed with a loving family that nurtured kindness, compassion, love for books, and a great sense of curiosity about the world. I’ve always loved their passion for life. We played lots of games, chess was my favorite, and had the chance to travel internationally quite a bit with my chess teammates.

You ran your first marathon in NYC in 2014 with Team for Kids. What initially inspired you to participate and specifically get involved in fundraising and running for a good cause?

I finally figured out you could do both together, and it has become a recipe for my philanthropy. Since I moved to United States I volunteered with lots of great organizations like New York Cares, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Autism Speaks and New York City Service for Hurricane Sandy relief. But, I always wanted to do more. I also wanted to run a marathon for years, but I never trained. Two years ago though, I finally decided to try. It is hard to start and after training on my own, I struggled through the Brooklyn Half Marathon (13.1 miles). Through some runners, I learned about Team For Kids. They have a great training program run by volunteers to help you train for the marathon while raising thousands of dollars to help children stay fit and healthy. What a genius idea that was motivational and fun. It was an amazing experience where I made lifelong friendships, and absolutely fell in love with running. My next step was to found my own charity dedicated to my passion of educating children, run2buildschools.

How did you first learn about buildOn and what makes you so passionate about buildOn mission?

I am extremely passionate about education and literacy. Education should not be a first world luxury but a human right. It is a basic building block to a better future and gives kids a chance to succeed. I made education my priority to give back. I decided to build schools in underdeveloped countries where I thought I could make the largest impact on improving children lives.

I went looking for buildOn, but just didn’t know their name yet. I knew there were organizations that build schools and I started doing research on many non-profits. I loved buildOn’s commitment to changing the world through service and education. Their financial transparency and domestic programs that help the American youth sealed the deal for me. I decided to contact them and use them as a platform to achieve my dream of building schools.

What is your philosophy in giving back to people in general?

Life can be really hard for many people. There are so many problems; from homelessness, to children dying from curable diseases, to cycles of poverty, to refugees, to simply a neighbor or family member battling severe illness. The challenges are complex and varied, and many dedicated people are working on different solutions. But not enough. I think it is always worthwhile to try and help people. As long as I am able, I want to be someone who tries to make the world a little less hard for those less fortunate. Maybe by doing what I can and sharing it, others might be inspired to find a cause that they are passionate about.

Since setting your goal to build schools, how many marathons did you run and what were the most memorable experiences?

I ran 5 marathons in the last 12 months. Four were dedicated entirely to run2buildschools which all the funds go to buildOn to build schools. There were so many memorable moments and different kinds of moments. The feeling at mile 25 of my first Marathon in New York, when I realized there was no stopping me from completing my goal. My body was decimated, but I didn’t feel it all. I was skipping, jumping, dancing to the finish line.

The scenery in Iceland was breathtaking. But as part of my 7 marathons on 7 continents, it was my first marathon where I was completely without friends and loved ones. While the country was stunning, the race hit me hard. I was sick and vomited, but I managed to finish. I learned a lot about myself and my inner strength.

But the biggest memories are all the friends. There are new ones. I love the camaraderie of my fellow runners who are becoming lifelong friends. And it is hard to express all the gratitude I feel for all my charity supporters. There are also inspirational figures like my 76 year old coach, Sid Howard and his wife Asteria, who are both competitive runners. If I can have their energy and excitement at 76, I think I will be the happiest woman on Earth! But most of all, I love how all my long time friends, coworkers, family members have rallied around me and keep me motivated. So many friends have lined the marathon courses to shout my name and hold signs. The friends in other cities and countries, like my homeland, Romania, follow online, and when I am sore and exhausted, I read all the amazing posts on Facebook and Instagram. It warms my heart, and makes my legs hurt a little less.

I was absolutely fascinated by your idea to run 7marathons on 7 continents and build 3 schools with buildOn. Tell me more about your plan and what has been accomplished so far?

My goal is to build 3 schools in 3 developing countries. So far, I raised more then $36,000 with over 125 donations. We will break ground next November in Nepal to build my first school for 150 children. In a country devastated by an earthquake on top of what was already crippling poverty, I wish I could go there today and start digging. I am currently raising money for the second school, and I want to keep it new and exciting for both me and the people following my adventures. The idea is to run a marathon on every continent. North America and Europe accomplished!

The most exciting part of the journey is still to come. I’m going to Chile, China, Antarctica, Africa, and Australia. I have never been to any of these continents, so it is both exhilarating and scary to put my heart and body on the line. Friends are going to show me the real China, before I try and tackle a marathon that is on the Great Wall of China. I don’t even think I can conceptualize yet what it will be like to run on the snow and ice in Antartica 2018. I just know I better finish that one, because it will be really hard to get a second chance at that.

What’s the best advice you were given embarking on this journey?

To run with my heart and to take ice baths after every marathon I run.

Aside from the physical difficulties, many of the marathon participants face emotional and mental hardships along the way. What were some of yours?

The days before the race are a rollercoaster of emotions. You want to jump up and down like crazy happy, and then you want to cry. All your friends are calling to have carbo load dinners, and then your shin starts to hurt. And you think maybe I won’t finish this one. You have nightmares.

I also get overwhelmed with fitting my running schedule into my every day life. It takes a lot of mental toughness and discipline to train for a marathon. With a busy work schedule and updating my charity blog and social media. I don’t think there are enough hours in the day. I try and see my friends and go to dinners. But I am more likely to plan to stay up to midnight working, only to fall asleep in my chair at 9pm.

What do you find to be the most rewarding thing about running? Specifically running long distance.

Crossing the finish line is incredibly rewarding to me. I always get emotional and cry. Every finish line feels like I am putting another brick in the construction of a school. The more you struggle both mentally and physically with your goal, the sweeter it is when you accomplish it. Twenty six miles is always daunting. From the months of training, to the doubts and pains, to a race full of hills, sweat and cheering crowds; when I cross that line, I can hardly believe I am doing what I am doing.

You just celebrated the 1st Anniversary of run2buildschools. What essential lessons have you learned along the way?

I’ve learned that passion and creativity are powerful forces. Never stop dreaming, because those dreams are the start of new and beautiful realities. If people see the love and commitment you put into your dream, they will follow and support you.

The first school will be built in Nepal in November 2016. Please tell us what inspires you the most about Nepal and what are you most looking forward to in that journey.

I think it is going to be incredible to meet the children whose lives will be impacted by the school. The whole community is involved in the project and I think that’s so special. I am just excited to meet everyone and help. I’ve read so much about Nepal. One of the things that stood out the most was how kind and warm Nepalese people are. With so many poor people, they are very rich spiritually. I am intrigued and inspired.

You recently decided to build a second school in Senegal. What inspired your decision?

If I could, I would build schools in every place that needs a school on this planet. BuildOn works on several continents and I want to start by building one on each of those. Senegal needs schools. It has a low literacy rate and low enrollment in primary and secondary school. More than half of its population lives in extreme poverty. Education lifts communities out of poverty. I wish I could build 100 schools there.

Thinking of yourself as a soul on Earth, what is your mission and in what way do you think one person can make the world a better place?

My mission is to live with love and grace, to show recognition and appreciation to the world by being kind, paying it forward and helping those in need. The world is complex, life is hard, and many things need to happen to ensure a better and more peaceful planet. But if I can be aware and involved in world affairs, and inspire others to take initiatives, then it is a start and a beginning. Luckily, I am not the only one who is making this commitment. For all the bleak news we hear on TV, a lot of amazing things are happening. Make altruism a part of your daily life and the world will be a better place.

You are using social media to document everything you do for this amazing cause. Where can our readers follow your journey?

My blog – www.run2buildschools.com, documents every step of my journey. I am also very active on Facebook – www.facebook.com/sandra.cotuna, Instagram – www.instagram.com/sandracotuna and Twitter – www.twitter.com/sandracotuna.

Who would you consider a real Warrior?

Malala, a young Pakistani activist for female education, is a real warrior. Rather than succumb to fear, she stood up directly to extreme violence. Rising up past all expectations to push the crucial issue of female education in communities that are against it, is awe inspiring. Such a young person with the wisdom, foresight and strength or a great mover of history. We might one day use her name in the same sentence with Dr. King and Ghandi.

P.S Editor’s note: Please join us in supporting Sandra’s campaign to build schools with buildOn. You can spread the word by sharing the link to Sandra’s buildOn fundraising page on social media and help her reach the goal by donating:)