Edward Norton and Other Stars Running for a Cause

Edward Norton recently announced that he's in training. This time, it's not for a movie role; rather, the actor is training to run the New York Marathon on November 1. While the actual feat of completing 26.2 miles is impressive (particularly considering the 40-year-old has never run a marathon before), he has another goal -- to raise money for the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust.

Norton will be joined by a team of runners that includes three members of the Maasai tribe (one of whom could likely leave the group behind and finish in two and a half hours, Norton tells CNN. The "Fight Club" star became involved in the Maasai cause about eight years ago, and encourages his fans to donate to the cause.

"The money we raise is going to enable important and inspiring work that the Maasai are engaging in to show that wilderness and wildlife and healthy ecosystems can be integral to economic prosperity and the preservation of a traditional culture," he writes on the MWCT website. "There is a genuine threat to the future of that wildness if we don't collectively value it and engage with the people who live alongside it. Imagine having to explain to your grandchildren why those animals no longer exist." Hear more about what he has to say in the video above.

Norton isn't alone in his cause-driven run. Anthony Edwards told People magazine earlier this month that he's running New York Marathon for Shoe4Africa. His goal is to raise a million dollars so they can build a children's hospital in Kenya. They've already collected $450,000, but can't begin to build until they reach that million-dollar mark.

The actor, who will run the race in bright yellow scrubs to keep the hospital theme going from his "ER" days, says on the Shoe4Africa site, "We have found that creating running events in Africa is a profound way to empower people. Now we are running in New York to let thousands of people contribute to building the largest children's hospital in Africa. It's simple, we will run the 26.2 miles, people will sponsor us with money, and together we affect a big change in children's health in Africa!"

Lots of other celebrities have run this particular marathon for charities close to their hearts. Ryan Reynolds ran it last year to benefit Parkinson's research (his father suffers from the disease), and Sean Combs raised two million dollars in 2003 for various causes, including New York City's public schools and children suffering from HIV and AIDS. In fact, just look at all of these celebrities who've gone the distance!

All this running-for-good raises an important question -- what is it doing to the sport? Fortunately, we've already looked into it. See whether you agree with our take on marathoning for charity.