Fit Philanthropy: 24-Year-Old Runs Across U.S. for Charity and Change

As part of her program "Pave Your Lane," 24-year-old Katie Visco wants to empower individuals to connect to what gives them life and pave their own lane to pursue it, while making a positive impact on the world. For her, this meant spending nine months on the road. Literally.

That's Fit first caught up with Visco as she ran through New York, and the enthusiasm she shared early on in her race didn't dwindle over the next six months.

Running an average of 18 miles a day from Boston to San Diego last year, some might think Visco was crazy and wonder why she would undertake such a tremendous feat. But Katie doesn't like the word "why."

"Why would I not want to do this?" she said. "The world is an amazing place. I wanted to experience it."

As if the infectiously bubbly young woman didn't have enough energy and enthusiasm of her own to complete the 3,132-mile trek, Katie consulted with 20 athletes and runners as part of her preparation and motivation. "The words of one ultra-runner were especially important to me," Visco said. 'You can do this Katie,' she told me. 'There is no reason for you not to do this. You can train all you want, but ultimately you need to just do it.' Sometimes the best advice is the simplest."

Along the way, Katie was joined by strangers coming out to run with her and offer cheers, cookies and even a place to stay. "I met some of the most amazing people -- people I didn't even know coming out to support me and open their homes to me."

Describing parts of the March through December journey as "ridiculously hard," Katie did say there were days, even weeks, that were especially difficult, some bringing her to tears. "My seventh month was through New Mexico, and with strong winds, cold, snow and a lack of people coming out to support me, I had to dig deep to find my inner strength," she said. "Everybody has that inner strength and sometimes those challenges are necessary to find it."

Being adamantly opposed to wearing an iPod, Katie found that inspiration from her surroundings. "There's so much to listen to -- your own head, cars, the earth," she said. "There's a whole soundtrack to life if you just listen."

Two hundred and seventy-six days, 15 states and nine pairs of shoes later, Katie's journey ended at the Pacific Ocean with friends and family waiting for her as she tossed off her shoes and ran into the water with tears streaming down her face. "Anything is possible," she said.

That's the message she hopes will inspire young girls across the country, too. As part of her expedition, Katie raised money for Girls on the Run, a nonprofit program for elementary and middle school girls that uses running to teach important life lessons and self-esteem. Along the way, Katie visited with 15 of these after-school programs to speak to the girls, inspire them and, of course, run with them. To date, Katie has raised $11,600 which will be donated back to five of the individual teams she visited.

After taking the last month off to rest in California, Katie is back at it. This time, she is on a speaking tour on her way back to Boston. "I want to reach out to schools, running clubs and companies, and I want to revisit with the people who came out to support me." This time, though, she's driving.

What's your next goal, your biggest dream? Remember, anything is possible! Find out how to start making it happen.