SEATTLE/Christian Newswire – Right now, 49 year-old Steve Spear is training for the run of his life. The Chicago-area pastor recently quit his job as a Willow Creek pastor after 15 years to focus on raising $1.5 million to provide clean water for 30,000 people living in Kenya. It’s the adventure of a lifetime, a cross-country fundraising run from Southern California to New York City. Spear, who only took up long-distance running five years ago, has completed countless marathons and ultra-marathons but has never done anything like this before. He will attempt to run a marathon a day for five months, from coast to coast.
Spear will start his quest on April 8, 2013 from the Santa Monica Pier on the Pacific Ocean, finishing up five months later in August in New York City. Steve Spear says his former senior pastor at Willow Creek, Bill Hybels, is planning to run with Steve on the final leg of the cross-country odyssey into New York City. Spear will seek support from churches along the way.
Spear will run 3200 miles, averaging a marathon a day for 5 months. He will consume 6100 calories a day. He will go through 10 pairs of running shoes
The reason: clean water for Africa.
- 900 million people lack access to safe water
- 6,000 children die each day from diarrheal diseases caused by unsafe water and basic sanitation facilities
- 443 million school days per year are lost to water-related illness
The difference: hope for 30,000 people .
For donations: www.teamworldvision.org/runningforwater
Twitter: @steveSpear30
Media Contact: John Yeager World Vision
jyeager@worldvision.org or 425-765-9845
World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization dedicate to working with children, families and their communities worldwide by tacking the causes of poverty and injustice. For more information please visit worldvision.org.
