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Edward Norton's Maasai Marathon
Posted on Dec 1st 2009 1:22PM by Jennifer FieldsFiled Under: Diet & Weight Loss, Men's Fitness
Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust
Sunday will be the first marathon for Norton and for the majority of his 30-person team, which includes the Maasai warriors, David Blaine and Alanis Morrisette among others, all of whom are running the marathon to raise money for the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust.
Norton first became acquainted with the trust when he traveled to Kenya 10 years ago. "I was struck by the work that this organization was doing there," he says. "I was more impressed by it over time and eventually joined the board and became head of it," he says.
The trust, which is dedicated to protecting the Maasai homeland in the heart of Kenya through conservation, education and health services within the Maasai community, was looking for fundraising opportunities that extended beyond the traditional dinner party. "We wanted to do something more dynamic, something that would be fun and involve the people that we work with in Kenya more actively," says Norton.
It wasn't Norton's idea to organize a group to run the marathon, let alone to run one himself, but once the idea was born he was quickly on board. "We thought it was such a good idea we scrapped all of our other more traditional ways of [raising money]. The [Maasai] really get the idea of going out and doing something strong or brave for their community -- it's part of their culture almost. So the fact that we could bring the trust over, but also involve some of the Maasai, meant a lot to the community."
Story continues below the gallery.
Click through the gallery below for photos of Norton and his Maasai Marathon team.
The actor began his marathon training in June and says it's been great with some "ups and downs." The lows include shin splints, IT band pain and "moments where it's hard to believe you're going to reach the next five-mile increment." But it's been full of high points as well, like a three-week training stint in Kenya where he ran past zebra and wildebeest herds. "And when I ran 21 miles, I felt pretty good about that," he said.
In between runs, Norton has been tweeting about his training, as well as using Twitter to mobilize people around the cause -- taking questions from readers, holding contests to gain more sponsors and uploading photos to keep his 125,000-plus followers involved and engaged. He's also been spending some quality time with the Maasai who just arrived in New York, going out for Tibetan food, taking yoga classes and explaining the bizarre culture that personifies New York. "They're not persuaded that many of these little dogs on leashes are really dogs," he says.
Norton will rely on his training and a Radiohead-heavy playlist to get him through the tough times of the race. (You can nominate songs for his playlist at playlist.com. "I'm also hoping the crowd can read my name. I've heard the crowd can really help." He has no plans to try to keep up with the warriors, who come from Kenya's long tradition of remarkable distance runners. Parashi, one of the Maasai, can run a seven-minute mile and is expected to finish the marathon in just two hours, 30 minutes. "We have no idea how fast he can really run. We're excited to see what will happen," Norton says. "We'll all be celebrating together at the end. But I think some will have gotten home and taken showers before others reach the finish."
For profiles of team members or to sponsor a runner, go to the Maasai marathon Web site.
Click here to buy a commemorative Maasai Marathon t-shirt from Puma -- 50 percent of the proceeds go to the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust.
