Fit Philanthropy: Running 2,500 Miles for AIDS Orphans

For Lisa Smith-Batchen, being the first person to run 50 miles in all 50 states -- at nearly 50 years old -- was not a competition against herself, others or a finish line clock. It was a run with a much bigger purpose: to help 15 million orphans all over the world.

This elite-level athlete and ultra-marathoner has already completed over 90 marathons, five Kona Ironman Championships, nine 135-mile Badwater races in Death Valley, and dozens of other mega-distance runs across the planet -- many where she placed or won. This time, though, her 2,500 mile journey was different.

Over the course of 62 days in a project she dubbed "Running Hope Through America," Smith-Batchen's goal was not only to run the distance of nearly two back-to-back marathons in each state, but she set out to raise $1 million for children suffering with AIDS and without parents. And if you think those circumstances only affect youth in developing nations, it doesn't. In the U.S. alone, there are 67,000 children added to this group every year.

For Smith-Batchen, those numbers were unbearable. So, she decided to do something about it.

"The chances of one of these children getting adopted is slim," said Smith-Batchen. "But with the awareness we are creating, more and more people are seeing the goodness behind helping."

She started her journey on April 19 by running 50 miles in New Jersey. Smith-Batchen then traveled to New York for another 50 miles the next day, followed by 50 miles in Connecticut, and so on for all 50 states. She concluded the last stretch in her Idaho hometown on June 19.

Helping this mother of two accomplish her trans-American trek and $1 million goal was Sister Mary Beth Lloyd, a longtime friend and mentor. The 62-year-old member of the Religious Teachers Filippini organization who has served many of these orphans during her lifetime, logged 20 miles a day with Lisa -- all while wearing sneakers underneath her habit.

Each day, a crew of four kept Smith-Batchen on schedule and provided food, beverages, massages and moral support. Along the route, countless people joined the movement -- some to run with Lisa, others to help raise funds and attention for her cause. "Little did we know that so many Americans would show up to be a part of this," Smith-Batchen said. "It became so much more and so much bigger than we could have imagined."

Even with an average of just four hours of sleep a night and many days in agony, Lisa never let herself believe she wouldn't finish. "I was hurting bad," she recalled about certain miles. "But when you do something like this, you learn a lot about your own suffering, and it makes you realize how others suffer."

All of the money that Lisa and her team raised will be distributed through the Dreamchasers Foundation, an organization she founded two years ago to direct her personal fundraising and that of other athletes who are passionate about charity. The funds raised from this event will be divided among three charities: AIDS Orphans Rising, which provides food, housing and education to children who have lost their parents to AIDS; the Caring House Project, a foundation to help the homeless in Haiti; and The Orphan Foundation of America, which provides grants and support to youth aging out of the foster care system.

"Everyone has a talent they can use to help others," Lisa said. "God gave me the gift of running and endurance. This is my part. It's what I can do."

Congratulations Lisa on a journey well done! To get involved and find out more, visit Lisa's Web site.

Want more inspiration on using your fitness to help others? Take a look at this story.