Edward Norton Runs a Marathon

Edward Norton has shin splints. But he's hoping that resting his legs this week will leave him recharged and pain-free for the New York City Marathon, which he is running along with nearly 40,000 others (myself included) this Sunday.

It will be the first marathon for the esteemed actor, and also for the majority of his 30-member team, who are running to raise money for the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust. He became acquainted with the trust 10 years ago on a trip to Kenya, and says he was so impressed by the work being done by the organization to protect the Maasai homeland, he decided to get involved -- eventually becoming head of the board.

The marathon as a fundraiser was "definitely not" Edward Norton's idea, but the idea of raising money in a way that involved some of the Maasai -- who are steeped in the Kenyan tradition of long-distance running -- just seemed to make sense. Three Maasai warriors (two of them, Parashi and Martin, are pictured above) are a part of the team and are, as Norton says, "totally psyched" to be running.

Like other marathon hopefuls, Norton has been in training since June, logging long runs and collecting injuries along the way -- Achilles tendon issues, IT band pain, and those aforementioned shin splints among them. For shin splints, rest and ice are his treatment of choice and he says they seem to be "mellowing out." For IT band pain, which is the current bane of my existence, he suggests Pilates, which "set him straight."

In these last few months, Norton has hit the wall, experienced a runner's high and stood in utter disbelief of his own ability. "When I ran 21 miles, I felt pretty good about that," he said. "I didn't know I could run that far." He's also run in eight countries, including Ireland, the UK and Rwanda, and he spent several weeks training in Kenya with his Maasai friends. Now, they are all together in New York, just days away from the goal they've been working so hard to meet. Check out Norton's twitter for updates and fun photo of the guys getting acquainted with New York, and read my full interview with Edward Norton at AOL Health.

For profiles of team members or to sponsor a runner, go to the Maassai marathon Web site.

To buy a commemorative Maasai Marathon t-shirt, go to the Puma Web site -- 50 percent of the proceeds go to the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust.

And now, get some last-minute marathon tips.