In 2004, 10 runners in their 40s and 50s completed TREK (Trans America Relay Embracing Kids). As they ran, kids in classrooms, playgrounds and physical education periods, followed their progress. The involvement of the kids and their families raised more than $300,000 for kids' charities.

In May 2007, a similar trek across America will take place, from San Francisco to the finish line of the Boston Marathon. The mission is to support Physical Education in schools and children's health and the fight against obesity and to draw attention to the need for a healthier America by encouraging family fitness.

I am looking for people to join my team and/or to form teams of their own. Basically, with 10-person relay teams, each runner would be running about 500 miles in a month, either in one run a day of 12-15 miles or split up over several runs each day. We will start in San Francisco, run through Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, and Massachusetts, stopping at towns along the way to promote healthy family lifestyles. Throughout this fully-supported run, children in thousands of classrooms around the country will be following us online and learning from their teachers about the geography of the United States, history, and other topics like nutrition and physical fitness.

TREK 2007 will have minimum of 20 runners (two teams of 10 have already committed, one from Dave McGillivray Sports Enterprises and one from Florida who have agreed to raise money for youth causes. Each team will keep 70% of funds raised for the youth programs of their choosing and 30% will go to Running USA's support of member youth running and fitness programs. Support includes education for schools or communities wanting to start or enhance a youth running and fitness program, providing network opportunities for youth program directors and youth fun run events, clearinghouse for information on best practices and successful programs, and assistance obtaining resources for youth programs.

If you cannot run the event, there are other ways to be involved - from a big way to a small way - and even without leaving your desk!

1. Tell a friend or family member who lives on our route to come out and run a few blocks or a few miles with us.

2. Get your company on board as a sponsor or supporter/endorser of our mission, set up a challenge for people in your office to contribute to the mission.

3. Identify and work with schools in your area to alert them to what we are doing so they can follow us across the country via internet and their teachers can help teach them lessons about where we are in America and what we are doing and why active lifestyle is a life-long important priority and about the importance of math and school as a whole. How many kids have no idea the location of each state of the union?

4. Spread the word to the hundreds and hundreds of people you have on your contact lists, via e-mail, and USPS. Each individual you know also knows somebody who knows somebody. Maybe somebody you know wants to attempt to run across America, or at the least help us get the word out.

There are many other details if you are interested. E-mail me at Steve Nearman or call me at 703-683-4660 if you and/or anybody you know may be interested. This is an experience of a lifetime and I hope you can join me and the others to do this.