28-03-2025
Marathon buddies, prayer buddies, clean-water buddies: Newton and Vaughn have been through a lot together
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — Thousands of people will be at the Bakersfield Marathon this weekend. Two of the attendees, Richard Newton and Al Vaughn — one participating, the other sitting things out — have a special story based on a special bond.
They're prayer buddies, running buddies, and water quality buddies – priorities that for them, go hand in hand.
Newton and Vaughn have known each other for 30 years from their affiliation with Olive Knolls Church in northwest Bakersfield and their association with Team World Vision, a faith based international charity that digs wells and builds water conveyance infrastructure for impoverished villages around the world. Team members find sponsors for their participation in marathons across the country.
Newton power-walked in the L.A. Marathon earlier in March, raising money for Team World Vision. Although the Bakersfield Marathon is not an official World Vision event, they and other team members will be there in uniform, raising money for the cause. And what a cause.
Olive Knolls Pastor Kevin Hardey visited Kenya earlier in 2025 to see the work his church's giving through World Vision had accomplished.
'They don't just do water,' said Newton, who is the Olive Knolls facility manager. 'They build wells and all that, yes they do, but they also provide schools, churches and animals. You can buy an animal for them – goats and chickens, so they have milk and eggs…they won't have sick children because of water anymore.'
Newton believes in his efforts' healing power. When his friend Al was down and almost out four years ago with Covid-19, Newton had a chat with God.
'In my heart he was telling me that he wanted me to do 10 days of half marathons to honor Al and to glorify him,' Newton said, gesturing skyward.
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He told the church's office manager about what God had told him.
'And she said, OK, you start tomorrow,' Newton said. 'And I just went, 'Wow, OK.' One day it was pouring rain so I went on our gym floor and went 13 miles. In a circle on the gym floor. And everybody's like, 'What are you doing?''
On the 10th day, he and a teammate circled Al's hospital the equivalent of 13 miles, which initially had the security guard concerned. But it worked.
'And then shortly after that he started to come to,' Newton said of his friend Vaughn.
'Yeah, I came around,' Vaughn said.
Vaughn is a longtime marathoner who, at 79, with a heart condition, might have run his last marathon, but he is contemplating running in the Bakersfield 6k race next year.
In a sense, Newton was just repaying a favor Vaughn had done for him the previous year.
'I prayed for Richard when he had cancer, you bet,' Vaughn said. 'And we both had our down times. But the Lord keeps us faithful and gets us through it.'
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