26.2, the hungry and hopefully you

Somewhere between 1000 and 1200 miles of running later, I hope tackling my marathon seems much easier. Especially because I get to eat.

Eight weeks ago I set out on my NYC Marathon “official 12 weeks of training.” Since then, I covered some 800 plus miles in my attempt for a successful 26.2. Yes, I ran consistently before that 12 week mark – just not nearly as much. And yes I took this weekend off because I wasn’t entirely sure my body would make it if I didn’t. Regardless, training presses on.

But I now stand less than four weeks out from the experience that I’ve over come my fear of death from – the marathon – although getting through the training has proven its difficulties. And even better, I now seek to make every mile I run in training matter more than just my preparation for the challenge I’m volunteering myself for.

A few weeks ago I solicited my services to raise money for a cause I believe in through my training and racing. It was the goal to fulfill my marathon experience – to use the time of training and preparation not just for myself, but something bigger. The same lesson I learned from Pheidippides story – that maybe running a marathon shouldn’t be all about you.

My old roommate and the Friends of the World food Prize came through with an offer I couldn’t resist – to run for world hunger.

Now, my training means much more than my success. My training means miles run to feed the starving. My training means every day I run with company – me, the hungry and hopefully, you.

Every day, 25,000 people die of hunger and it only costs 25 cents to give them a meal. I have no idea how that fits into 26.2 miles, but I’m going to make it.

Running for hunger fits me well. Not because I tend to eat more than should be proportionally acceptable for me, but because over the past few years I’ve gained an appreciation for food production and what it means in a world where some billion go hungry.

Growing up in the Midwest surrounded by the most fertile land in the world and having the privilege of meeting the late Norman Borlaug – the Father of the Green Revolution - and witnessing his Congressional Gold Medal Award ceremony taught me something. It taught me that we can make enough food to feed the world. All six billion and counting.

But most in agriculture today say that making enough food isn’t the biggest issue encountering world hunger, it’s feeding it to the people that need it. And it’s the Friends of the World Food Program that feeds – that takes the problem of distribution that so many shy away from head on and that takes the world’s food to the places of the people that need it the most.

And still people starve. And more places and people remain in need.

Giving the Friends of the World Food Program more resources means more people eat. And not just anybody, but the people that need it the most.

My challenge ahead – as a runner - is NYC Marathon. I want our challenge ahead – as humans – to be feeding the world.

Help me to help the Friends of the World Food Program. The miles I run don’t need to mean anything, but let’s make them.

Let’s make those miles mean food for those who have none.

I’ll even make you a deal: I’ll do the running, you do the giving.

I ask that you help me fight world hunger through things we’re good at – me, running; you, giving. I want each and every mile I run in training to mean something.

So here is where you come in. I ask you to make a donation based on every mile I run. And for easy math’s sake, let’s put the number of miles I will run in training for NYC Marathon at 1000, which might be a little low. So, to help you get started with the math, here you go:

1 cent/mile = $10.00

2 cents/mile = $20.00

5 cents/mile = $50.00

10/ cents/mile = $100

$1/mile = $1000

Catching on yet?

Donate whatever you want and whatever you can. I even have a Web page for donations set up through the World Food Program, click here.

Help me run this race against World Hunger.