Running for Water

Would you be willing to run for water?

Do you love running?  Are you concerned about global water issues?  Why not combine your passions in the Dow Live Earth Run for Water in spring 2010. With the event taking place on April 18, 2010, you have plenty of time to start training!

Don’t worry – there will be many races taking place all over the globe in the 24-hour period on the date, in 192 countries. The primary focus is to raise awareness of and participation in a global movement to help address the water crisis.

The distance for which you need to train is 6 kilometers.  Granted, this is not your typical race… most of which are 5K or 10K.  The significance of the 6K distance (about 4 miles) is that African women and children walk an average of six kilometers every day just to secure safe drinking water for themselves and their families.  Many people can run 4 miles in less than 1 hour, and under much more favorable circumstances!

Consider this especially moving commercial:

Trekking 6K a day for drinking water

When I run, its for my health – both physical and mental.  Imagine training for the Dow Live Earth Run for Water in the coming months.  As the video above states, every step counts!  I can tell you that my “feel good” status resulting from my weekly runs just went up a few notches.

At the Run for Water events worldwide, you can not only help the water crisis with your registration fee and participation, but enjoy the entertainment and please attend the numerous booths to help educate the public about water-related issues.

If you are thinking about signing up, please read this information from the Dow website:

One in eight. That’s how many people around the world lack access to safe, clean drinking water. Water is essential to human life and although 70 percent of the world is made of water, only a small fraction of it (2.5 percent) is actually suitable for drinking. There are communities around the world where access to drinking water is severely limited, a reality that kills thousands of children and adults each day. The statistics are stark, but there is good news about the global water crisis: it’s not insurmountable. Solutions do exist.

Jessica Biel and Pete Wentz, among others, have lent their voices to the cause:

Parched for water in Africa

If you are considering running for water, then be sure to log into the official Live Earth site, which includes online registration, and training and fundraising tips.  Oh, and 10% of all registration fees will be donated to help address the global water challenge.  As Sejal Pietrzak of Active.com stated:

“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to work with Live Earth and play a part in raising awareness for such a pressing environmental issue.  As a leader in both online registration and charitable giving, we look forward to utilizing our technology to enable registration, training programs and fundraising for the worldwide Dow Live Earth Run for Water Events.”

If you cannot run, why not help the overall cause by either donating money to help support clean water projects in developing nations, and/or conserving water in your own hometown and community.  You can also help by signing the Live Earth petition, which seeks to add water as a basic human right to the U.N. Declaration of Human Rights.

Its time to turn off the running water, and turn on your own human energy to make a difference to those many people around the world that suffer or die each day because of lack of clean potable water.

Are you in?  Please officially join by commenting below!