Lina Mongwa took the distressing events of this year and addressed them in a positive way through running.
The Champaign resident ran 401 miles in 100 days to raise money for DREAAM (Driven to Reach Excellence and Academic Achievement for Males), a local nonprofit organization that supports the achievement of Black boys and young men. She began running in mid-June and finished the 401 miles in late September. Mongwa will run a half-marathon Saturday to finish her effort to raise awareness and seek donations for the organization.
She was inspired to do the run by the events she was hearing and seeing this summer — the disproportionate effect of COVID-19 on minorities, the violence against Black men and the racial-justice protests.