Frank Hardy has a dream.

His dream is to show the world that Selma has moved forward since the civil rights movement.

The reality of that dream started to come alive last year in the inaugural Defiant Run that was held on Oct. 4, 2003.

Coming September 25, 2004 the Defiant Run, which is a half marathon, will take on its second year.

The race has grabbed headlines across the state and has been on track club Website for a year now promoting the event.

The annual Defiant Run’s purpose is to foster racial reconciliation and understanding in the community.

The race is based on the 1958 movie “The Defiant Ones,” starring Tony Curtis and Sidney Poitier.

In the movie, the two were prison escapees who where shackled together and had to work hand in hand in order to make a successful escape.

Even though the circumstances of the race are different from the settings of the movie, the purpose of two people of different races shackled together brings the same point across.

The point being that in order to overcome obstacles, in many cases, there is a need for teamwork, people working together for a common goal.

The race is not a normal half-marathon where only the runners speed across pavement.

The Defiant Run consists of an obstacle course and a shackle that binds one wrist of a white runner to a wrist of a black runner.

Last year there was skepticism on the idea and the success of the race.

However, some of that skepticism was put to rest when the number of participants showed.

The race has developed momentum since last years annual run and the city should expect a showing much more successful than the last.

It is an opportunity for Selma to put itself on the map for something other than Civil Rights or Civil War.

This is an opportunity to show the rest of the world that Selma is moving forward.

This race could turn into a large tourism event, which could bring thousands of runners from all across the country to run across the Edmund Pettus Bridge.