The Blue Planet Run

The 2007 Blue Planet Run Relay was an event that was designed to raise awareness internationally of the fact that 1 in 5 people on Planet Earth do not have clean water. EVERY SINGLE DAY the number of CHILDREN that die of water related illness could fill a jumbo jet. The run format was used to honor the millions of steps that women and children have to take every day in the developing nations of the world just to find potable water; and even when found it may not be safe to drink.

The 2007 Blue Planet Run Relay started at the United Nations building in New York on June 1^st, 2007 and continued on schedule for 95 days ending back in New York on Sept 4th. The route of the run would take the runners up the East Coast to Boston, across the Atlantic, landing in Ireland. The runners would head East across The UK, then to Europe, across Asia and back to the United States. The trip across the United States would also include a short foray into Canada before heading back to the East Coast. A total of 16 countries would be crossed with 15,500 miles covered. The run would be showcased in the National Geographic Magazine and on CNN channels.

Twenty International runners began the journey and all twenty finished the run with two additional runners on board by arrival back in New York. As the run progressed it was necessary to add the two additional runners so that runners with injuries could be allowed days off for rehab.

Five teams of four runners each were created. Each team was responsible for a six hour block of time. Each team would run four days in a row with the fifth day off for rest.

The final configuration for the medical teams was a physician always available and covering 12 hours of each 24 hour day. The other 12 hour shift would be covered by other medical staff such as a PA, RN or Paramedic. The Paramedics were Kevin Kuchar, Mark Tweet and Rick Barton, all employees of Tri State Ambulance.

The concept of using paramedics was supported by the Directors of Tri State Ambulance through the year long planning phase. Matt Zavadsky, Director of Tri State Ambulance, also provided support in the form of disposable medical supplies to supplement the two medical support bags that the physicians and other staff would carry with them at all times. The reality of the run puts the two staff members on duty on each end of a column of support vehicles that can extend 100 miles or more apart with communications between the two members by either cellular phone or satellite phone. Each team was assigned a section of the run and each segment was generally two weeks long. The exception to this was the East European and Asian section from Moscow through Siberia, Mongolia, China and Japan. This portion was staffed by two physicians and one paramedic, and lasted five and a half weeks. The reason for this longer stretch was to limit the amount of air travel necessary into a part of the world where travel can present a challenge and always up for a challenge, lead Paramedic Kevin Kuchar selected this challenging portion of the run. Paramedic Mark Tweet provided his services from San Francisco to Kansas City where he was relieved by Rick Barton. Rick was part of the Team from Kansas City through Canada and to the finale of the run back in New York.

The medical team’s equipment included AED’s provided on loan by Philips as well as a limited supply of medications and anti-biotics. It was assumed that the majority of medical situations would involve routine, minor needs such as pain control for athletic injuries but the team had to assume that more serious needs would also arise. Enough basic trauma supplies were carried to allow the team to support a patient involved in a more serious injury long enough for a medical evacuation team to arrive. Arrangements had been made to allow air evacuation all along the route to a western hospital for definitive care if needed; fortunately such measures were not needed. Run of the mill injuries and illnesses in runners as well as team members were frequent including the inevitable traveler’s sickness as we were traveling through Asia. Only one runner required treatment over and above the routine and even in that case the runner was back on the run within four days.

Since this was the first ever run of this kind many challenges were experienced along the way. The run was a success in getting the twenty-two runners and up to one hundred total crew and support members safely around the world and on schedule. Awareness of the need for clean water around the world was raised but the Foundation continues to need your support. Please go to their web site, www.blueplanetrun.org and check out the videos and blogs of the amazing people that ran around the world for others and then do the right thing. Contibute so that within 20 years every man woman and child on the planet will have access to clean and safe water.

Please help support the cause!

The Tri State Ambulance Connection

Dr. John Pershing is the medical director for Atlanta based experimental marketing company, Ignition, Inc. who Blue Planet Run Foundation hired to produce the run. Ignition has worldwide experience in producing this type of event with past projects that have included the Olympic Torch Relays as well as Live Aid. Usually physicians are used for the medical coverage for these events and in this case Dr. John Pershing of La Crosse was deemed the Medical Director for The Blue Planet Run. Since The Blue Planet Run participants run continuously and through some unique areas of the planet, Dr. Pershing determined that he was going to need some specialized help; preferably medical professionals who are accustomed to doing medical support in challenging locations and conditions. The chosen medical professionals should also be able to work on their own with limited supervision and be able to think on their feet. As Dr. Pershing said, “It was obvious, we needed paramedics!” Dr. Pershing recruited Tri-State Ambulance veteran paramedic Kevin Kuchar and asked Kevin to help recruit two additional paramedics.

The Blue Planet Run

The Tri State Ambulance Connection

Technology at TSA