7 Marathons on 7 Continents in 7 Weeks
05.02.09 | in Fitness | 2 Comments Share
Who would take on such an incredible challenge? Julianne Chai, that's who, and it's for a fantastic cause.
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Some months back we interviewed Claire A. Williams from Hope Runs about the TumainiKids blog and the program she and her partner Lara Vogel helping disadvantaged children. She told us about the Hope Runs 777 Challenge—a Guinness World Record-breaking endeavor to complete 7 marathons on 7 continents in only 7 weeks. The funds raised in the event benefit orphaned and vulnerable children fighting the odds in incredibly difficult circumstances.
I thought "this is absolutely amazing—I wonder what kind of athlete will participate in the event?" Little did I know I would actually meet one in person: the tiny-yet-mighty Julianne Chai.
Julianne recently took a minute out of her busy schedule to give us the lowdown on her upcoming races and the Hope Runs 777 Challenge. Check it out, and help her reach her fundraising goal of $45,000!
Interview
Yo girl! Good morning!
Good morning to you!
How did you get involved with Hope Runs?
It is an amazing event/challenge. 777 is really a huge endeavor for anyone, let alone someone really ordinary like me!
I first read about it on a runner's blog calling for runners to get involved and as soon as I read it, I knew it was something I wanted to go. Running 7 marathons on 7 continents in 7 weeks is a once in a lifetime experience and on top of that, running for children with AIDS in Africa seemed like a great cause!
Without getting too political, the heart of this event seems very in-tune with the more rational, humanitarian notion that it's better to reach out and help people in difficult scenarios than it is to ignore them; in other words, Africa's future is our future, too—it's the world's future. And you are directly helping those that would otherwise be somewhat of (another) lost generation. Help them so they can help themselves, and therefore help future generations.
Absolutely! What drew me the most to Hope Runs isn't that they're not just another non-profit organization in Africa. They empower orphans with AIDs, provide them with tools to survive, gives them confidence... with something so simple like RUNNING!
Right—it's brilliant.
You've done a lot of philanthropic and fundraising events in the past. Tell us about some of 'em
I love volunteering. It's a great outlet for me to give back. I've done events with Girls on the Run (running with girls, 5th and 6th graders mostly) working with underprivileged girls in the Bay Area, Special Olympics and other non-profits. Right now, I am really involved with Make-a-Wish Foundation. I'm a Wish Granter, interviewing families for the Wish.
It's really rewarding and good for the soul!
Wow, that's amazing, considering you also work a full-time gig and have a full-time life. In meeting you in person you seem to have boundless energy.
I do have a full time job that keeps me very busy but I do have a flexible schedule (which usually means I work odd hours sometimes)!
So from January to March 2010 you run 7 races on 7 continents—in 7 WEEKS! The events are in:
1) Miami, FL
2) Beppu, Japan
3) Westport, New Zealand
4) TBA, Europe
5) Moshi, Tanzania
6) King George Island, Antarctica
7) Ushuaia, Argentina
Which of the locations is most exciting to you?
Yes, actually, change of plans with the Argentina Marathon! Apparently some kind of political instability issue? Hands down, ANTARTICA!
I was going to guess that. How many people get to go to Antarctica, let alone run a race! What in the world is it going to be like down there during the race?
Exactly!!! It's difficult enough to get to Antartica to VISIT. Running a marathon in Antartica is like bragging rights forever!
Seriously. That and the Great Wall Marathon in China are basically the 2 adventure biggies
Oh now THAT sounds hard. Great Wall marathon? Yikes! Gimme Antartica anyway. Maybe I'll get to do both one day??
What kind of special gear do you need for it? And how do you plan to train for Antarctica specifically?
I'm thinking a lot of warm clothing with lots of insulation. To tell you the truth, I haven't done much research on that front but maybe I need to hit up North Face soon!
If Asics made some sort of high-tech, furry mukluk, now THAT would be the shizzy
For sure!! Hope they make them in different colors!
After the Hope Runs 777 you'll have one knocked off your list—maybe the Great Wall Marathon will work its way into your game plan
THAT and the Boston Marathon. Another dream of mine!
Argentina got scratched, huh? That event sounded crazy, too. I'd imagine you'd have to wear some SPF 9000, considering that's where they discovered the hole in the ozone layer
So, aside from the athletic feat of 7 marathons on 7 continents in 7 weeks, you've also committed to raising $45,000 for this. How is that coming along, and what can folks do to help?
When I first signed up, I knew the fundraising part was not going to be easy! And it hasn't been. $45k is a lot of money to raise and in this economic situation, not always easy to ask people to open up their wallets. I've asked friends and family, done small fundraising events but at this point, I think I need go for the big fish: Corporate Sponsors! The best way to help right now is 1) donate any little amount and 2) help me get in touch with corporate sponsors :-)
Right on. In addition to your blog and your Facebook group, folks can also make donations through Give Forward.
What is the best way for corporate sponsors to contact you?
Corporate Sponsors can contact me via my email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)!!
Fantastic.
It's been amazing how viral the Facebook fan page has been. Friends have invited friends and etc. I have a surprisingly good following :-)
Last 3 (related) questions:
1) how is the training coming along?
2) give us the run-down on your standard gear (from shoes to shirts, if you have specifics you love) and
3) are you shooting for any specific times in any of these events?
1) Official training hasn't started for me but I love to run so I'm squeezing in more races and marathons than ever. I have the Big Sur Marathon this weekend and the Rock n Roll San Diego next month. Also, SFM in July and a few more for 2009. Hope Runs is hooking us up with some professional trainers to help us with our training for 777
wow, you are a MACHINE!
2) I don't have any specific brands that I stick with... I do love my Mizuno Alchemy 8s, nice and wide! I'm a huge bargain shopper so anytime I see a sale or at the outlet stores, I load up!
3) I am going to shoot for running sub 4 hour marathons for all 7 marathons. Ok, maybe a bit longer for Antartica... but one of the Guiness World Record hope is to get the fastest combined time of all 7 marathons. I hope to be that record holder!
GO GO GO GO GO!!! That's absolutely awesome
It's really exciting... just to think about it! I'm pumped!
Well, thank you for taking the time to chat this morning, and keep us posted on your progress!
And thank YOU for the opportunity!!!
Races
- 2009 Big Sur International Marathon
- 2009 Race for Roses Half Marathon
- 2009 Mermaid Run Half Marathon
- 2009 Emerald Across The Bay 12k
- 2009 Napa Valley Marathon
- 2009 Kaiser Permanente Half Marathon
- 2008 California International Marathon
- 2008 Nike Women's Marathon
- 2008 Rock n Roll Half Marathon San Jose
- 2008 Susan G. Komen Race For The Cure
- 2008 Bubba Gump Shrimp 5k
- 2008 San Francisco Marathon
- 2008 See Jane Run Women's Half Marathon
- 2007 San Francisco Marathon
- 2006 San Francisco Marathon
- 2005 Silicon Valley 5k
- 2005 Nike Women's Half Marathon
- 2005 San Francisco Marathon
- 2005 Napa to Sonoma Half Marathon
- 2004 Susan G. Komen Race For The Cure
Contact Information
Help Julianne reach her goal of $45,000! Individual contributions as well as corporate sponsorships are enthusiastically welcomed! Reach her via the following:
- Fundraising Page: Give Forward - Hope Runs
- Her Blog: bicoastalite.com
- Facebook: Julianne's Hope Runs 777 Challenge!
- Running Blog: SeeJulianneRun.blogspot.com
- Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
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Comments
It’s incredibly inspirational! Unfortunately, like a lot of other good things, the Hope Runs 777 was cancelled due to the economic climate. It was too difficult on the whole for directors and participants to come up with funding adequate to do the race. Sad but true. Hopefully they’ll do it again and Julianne will knock it out of the park!
John | July 21, 2009
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that’s inspirational! it’s so awesome that julianne is doing this!
char | July 21, 2009