“Look at your uniform. You are one. You are brothers.”
On Thursday, April 3, 2025, Brother Martin High School was pleased to welcome two-time U.S. track and field Olympian Lopez Lomong to campus to share a first-hand account of his autobiography and our 2025 Great Read, Running for My Life: One Lost Boy's Journey from the Killing Fields of Sudan to the Olympic Games, with our Crusaders.
Brother Martin has developed a unique Great Read program in order to engage students with gripping works of literature that are read, discussed, and analyzed from various angles by the entire school and in cooperation with all of our departments. “This year, the committee selected Lomong's novel while developing activities, lessons, and assessments based on the book. Students also completed related assignments and took part in discussing the book and connecting it to their lives, communities, and the world around them,” said Assistant Principal for Academics Michael H. Lynn, Jr. '04.
Surrounded by all of our Crusaders in the Robert M. Conlin Gymnasium, Mr. Lomong shared his inspiring journey from Sudan, pursuing the American dream as an Olympian, overcoming adversity with perseverance, and all through his faith. He also encouraged our students to give back, sharing his words to support others through their darkest days. Following his address, students engaged in a Q&A session with Mr. Lomong. Lastly, Mr. Lomong engaged with our student athletes in the Tom and Gayle Benson Mall, then attended a track and field meet at Tad Gormley Stadium in support of members of the Brother Martin Track and Field Team.
In the Mall, Mr. Lomong told our students that they are very blessed, to look at their uniform, to see "Brother Martin" and know that they are all one, all brothers, and that together, with God, we can accomplish anything.
Lopez Lomong was born in Kimotong, a small village in southern Sudan in 1985. Lopez had a happy childhood until one day, when he was six years old, his whole life was turned upside down. His village was attacked while he was attending church, and Lopez was taken by rebel soldiers from the Sudan People’s Liberation Army. After weeks of watching other boys slowly die in the rebel camp, Lopez was able to escape through a hole in the fence with the help of three other boys. Lopez and these boys ran for three days through the African plains until they reached Kenya and were placed in a refugee camp.
Lopez would spend the next 10 years in this refugee camp, attending “school,” playing soccer, and trying to survive day to day on the small rations that were provided to the boys. One day, when Lopez was 16, the opportunity of a lifetime arose. Lopez wrote an essay to Catholic Charities about what he would do if he were able to come to the U.S. His essay moved the people of Catholic Charities so much that he became one of the Lost Boys of Sudan, who were relocated to the United States to begin a new life.
Leaving Africa behind, Lopez found himself an adopted member of the Rodgers family in Tully, New York, a stark contrast from the plains of Africa. To feel at home, Lopez would go on long runs, as he had done in Kenya, and he drew the attention of his high school cross country coach. It was here that his running career began. Lopez showed immense potential and went on from New York to Northern Arizona University, where he won two NCAA championships.
In 2007, Lopez became a professional runner and in 2008, after becoming a US citizen, he made the Olympic team, proudly representing his new country, the USA. At the Beijing Olympics Lopez was voted by his fellow countrymen to carry the US flag into the opening ceremonies, and he went on to perform well, making it to the semi-finals of the 1500m.
In this time, Lopez has also had the opportunity to return to his homeland of Sudan and meet the parents that he thought had been killed during the raid on his village. He has a heart and passion to see peace in the country of his birth which continues to be ravaged by civil war. Lopez’s desire is to spread the word about what is happening in Sudan and to build a community center to give hope and opportunities to people who started out just like him.
Click the button below to read more about our 2025 Great Read program.
