There are books written by the survivors of the death march in which they describe the tortures they have experienced during the Bataan Death March. Abie Abraham, a Bataan Death March survivor who recently died in March 22nd, 2012, wrote a book titled "Oh God Where Are You". The book tells of his experience during the Bataan Death March due to what the Japanese announced about their actions. The Japanese had refused to acknowledge that they had done such a thing as a Death March.
An excerpt from the book:
"Continuing to stroll among the graves, I came to another Gold Star mother who was kneeling and praying at the grave of her son.
After praying for ten minutes, she rose, looked at me and said, 'Abie, are you going to write your story? You know they killed my son; you know they are denying it now. If you don't tell what happened, no one will ever know the true story, and you will be letting Japan get away with it.'
I saw the tears in her eyes. I walked over, wiped her tears and said, 'I'll write my story'.
She kissed me and said, 'Thank you my son'."
"Continuing to stroll among the graves, I came to another Gold Star mother who was kneeling and praying at the grave of her son.
After praying for ten minutes, she rose, looked at me and said, 'Abie, are you going to write your story? You know they killed my son; you know they are denying it now. If you don't tell what happened, no one will ever know the true story, and you will be letting Japan get away with it.'
I saw the tears in her eyes. I walked over, wiped her tears and said, 'I'll write my story'.
She kissed me and said, 'Thank you my son'."
The Bataan Memorial Death March is a marathon that honors the WWII veterans who attempted to defend the islands of the Philippines and either died or survived the aftermath of the Bataan Death March. The runners run/march through the desert terrain of White Sands Missile Range where there are miles of sand and dirt.
There are two courses the runners can choose from, the full course or the honorary course. The full course is 26.2 miles long, which is the full length of the actual Bataan Death March, where the runners will experience what the veterans faced except with clean water and food. Runners in this course will receive an award for finishing the entire run if they finish in either first or second place. The honorary route on the other hand is only 14.2 miles long. This is mainly used by those who simply want to respect/honor those in the Bataan Death March and do not want to run a full 26.2 mile route. Sadly, this course does not give out awards to those who finish it.
In order to register for the Bataan Memorial Death March, visit their website: http://www.bataanmarch.com/. There you would click on the register button and since there is a no refund policy, there is an option of purchasing a Registration Protector for seven dollars with the Allianz Global Assistance. The registration fee for the run is divided into the number of people (individuals or teams) and on what date you register. It cost eighty-five dollars until December 31st, 2013 or ninety-five dollars until March 9th, 2014 for those signing up as individuals. For those signing up as teams on the other hand pay either $425.00 until December 31st, 2013 or $475.00 until March 9th, 2014.
There are two courses the runners can choose from, the full course or the honorary course. The full course is 26.2 miles long, which is the full length of the actual Bataan Death March, where the runners will experience what the veterans faced except with clean water and food. Runners in this course will receive an award for finishing the entire run if they finish in either first or second place. The honorary route on the other hand is only 14.2 miles long. This is mainly used by those who simply want to respect/honor those in the Bataan Death March and do not want to run a full 26.2 mile route. Sadly, this course does not give out awards to those who finish it.
In order to register for the Bataan Memorial Death March, visit their website: http://www.bataanmarch.com/. There you would click on the register button and since there is a no refund policy, there is an option of purchasing a Registration Protector for seven dollars with the Allianz Global Assistance. The registration fee for the run is divided into the number of people (individuals or teams) and on what date you register. It cost eighty-five dollars until December 31st, 2013 or ninety-five dollars until March 9th, 2014 for those signing up as individuals. For those signing up as teams on the other hand pay either $425.00 until December 31st, 2013 or $475.00 until March 9th, 2014.