MANILA, Philippines - After taking a month and a half break to heal a stress fracture and torn muscle in her pelvis, Joy Rojas is on the road again, running in the cooler climate of fall to the Philippine Consulate of New York City, the final destination of her trans-continental run called Takbong Pangarap.
Accompanied by her trainer Mateo Macabe and Las Vegas-based photographer Danny Titus, Rojas resumed her 16-state run across America on Oct. 7 at the city limit of St. Louis, Missouri, which she and Macabe reached before Rojas rested upon the advice of Washington University Orthopedics doctor Heidi Prather for six weeks. Rojas, who is currently negotiating Illinois via US Highway 50, is expected to cross Indiana, Ohio, Maryland, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Washington DC, New Jersey, and New York.
Rojas was just as active during her mandatory break. Spending the month and a half with friends on the West Coast, she spoke about life on America’s service roads and scenic byways to Filipino groups in California and Las Vegas. She also started writing a book about her unique adventure.
“The injury was very frustrating,” she said. “But it also allowed us to connect with so many kind and generous people that we would never have met where it not for this setback.”
The Social Service Division of the Philippine Heart Center is the chosen charity of Takbong Pangarap. Takbong Pangarap is presented by Western Union and sponsored by Asiana Airlines, Adidas, Smart Communications, HSBC, Pinay In Action, Shopwise, Sony Ericsson, Sportsade, Asian Journal, Peninsula Manila, and Philippine Online Chronicles.