When Guor Majak came to the United States in July 2001, he says he was not a big fan of running.

Now, the standout cross country runner can’t go a day without it.

“It’s so enjoyable,” Majak said of running. “It’s hard to tell why, to explain it to someone. It’s made me feel happy. If I don’t run one day, I don’t feel happy.”

Majak, a 21-year old sophomore in health and human performance, is a refugee from Sudan who fled his home country at age 14 because of civil war.

He lived in the capital city of Khartoum from the age of 7 or 8 years old until he escaped with his uncle to Egypt in November 1999.

“That’s when the civil war was out of control,” Majak said.

Following his escape, he lived in Egypt with his uncle’s sister-in-law for two years before continuing his journey to Laconia, N.H.

When asked about his escape from Sudan, Majak was emotional.

“It’s a long story,” he said. “It’s a very touchy subject.”

Knowing some of what Majak has been through, men’s cross country coach Corey Ihmels describes Majak as “a pretty special guy.”

“The trials and tribulations he’s gone through in his life, being from a war-torn country – he’s just such a positive kid,” Ihmels said.

Majak lives in Concord, N.H., when he’s not attending school. He lives with Anne Marie and Dick Samuels, his host parents, along with their two sons, Peter and Drew. Majak said the Samuels family is very accommodating and means a lot to him.

“They look out for me and they care a lot about me, so they mean a lot to me,” Majak said.

He knew no English when he began school at Concord High School in New Hampshire, saying it was very difficult to learn but he worked hard to adjust.

“It was hard to keep up with stuff and learn the language,” Majak said.

“Everything was just different. The culture was different and the way people acted was different.”

Majak took English as a Second Language for two years and was quick to learn the language, Anne Marie Samuels said.

“His ESL teacher worked with him a lot and said he progressed by leaps and bounds because he was so determined to learn,” she said.

Samuels said his passion for running was evident when he attended Concord High. Majak ran track and field and cross country for the school, and was an All-New England star. He even fit extra training into his schedule of going to high school and working full time.

“He was working full time at a grocery store and going to school when he first got here,” Samuels said. “He was running to work and running to school and then running home. He didn’t have the suburban luxury of having everything. He never gave up, he just looks forward.”

His character as a person and all the things he has been through have made the Samuels family care endlessly about Majak.

“Everyone gets along with Guor because he is probably the most adaptive person I have ever met,” Samuels said. “He’s just a very considerate person and very easy to have around. We never had a doubt or a second thought [about having him stay with us].”

Samuels also said she considers herself “his American mom.”

“I feel very maternal toward him; I would probably do anything for him,” she said.

When the time came for Majak to move on to college, she said he faced the challenge head first and felt blessed to have such an opportunity.

“I think he can look at things that happen and kind of roll with them because he knows it could be so much worse,” she said. “He had to grow up really fast.”

Majak said his decision of where to attend college was a difficult one. With schools such as Connecticut, Kentucky, La Salle and New Hampshire trying to woo him to sign with them, he didn’t know what to do. But once Majak visited Iowa State, he felt it was the right fit for him.

Majak said he likes the team and facilities, and describes the campus as “a really nice place.” However, the No. 1 reason he chose Iowa State was his respect and admiration for Ihmels.

“Coach Ihmels is a guy who has been there before; he has won a national championship,” Majak said. “Having a coach like that helped motivate me to be on that kind of team. He knows exactly what it takes to be on that level.”

Samuels agreed that Iowa State was the best fit for Majak after meeting Ihmels and talking with him on the phone.

“We’re actually delighted mainly because of Corey [Ihmels]. Some of the coaches [at other schools] were really aggressive, but it became very clear towards the end that they didn’t have Guor’s best interest in mind,” Samuels said. “I never had that feeling with Corey or with anyone at ISU.”

Ihmels believes Majak is a model student athlete, and if he could, he said he would like 17 more men just like Majak on his team.

“He’s honest, he’s relentless, he’s focused, he’s obviously very positive, he’s conscientious,” Ihmels said. “All those things you want your student athlete to be, he is.”

Samuels said she couldn’t have been happier for Majak when he went to Iowa State.

“I think he has been one of the best things that’s ever happened to me,” she said. “The smile on his face when Iowa State worked out, you could have cracked glass with it. It was just a great feeling.”

When asked if he would like to return to Sudan later in his life, Majak said “of course.” He said he wants to go back to visit. However, he explained that school is important, and that he would not return to Sudan until he graduates.

“I want to go to graduate school, maybe to get a pharmaceutical degree,” he said.

Ihmels said Majak is the kind of person that will have an impact on the world because “he’s got strong character and strong faith.”

“He sees college as an opportunity to get a degree,” Ihmels said. “There’s no doubt in my mind that in 10 to 15 years, he’s going to be doing something that affects the world. He’s that kind of person.”

Through all the hardships that Majak has faced in his life, he has managed to stay strong and positive.

“Everyone could be down and having a bad day, and there’s Guor saying ‘Come on guys, let’s go,'” Ihmels said. “It’s hard to wipe a smile off his face.”