Who-What-When:
Brynn’s Run Across
the World
This is Part One of
an interview with Brynn Thomas Harrington as she
supports safe water initiatives as a Global Messenger
for the Blue Planet Run…
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Brynn Harrington runs through
Dresden, Germany |
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GAC: Why
are you running around the world?
Brynn Thomas
Harrington: I am running around the world to
raise awareness and funds to support safe drinking
water projects in developing countries. 1.1 billion
people on this planet – 1 in 5 of us –
lack access to safe drinking water. This issue is
about far more than water, as it serves as a
gatekeeper to educational, healthcare and social
equity issues facing the developing world.
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 1.1
billion people on this planet – 1 in 5
of us – lack access to safe drinking
water. 
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Just a $30
donation provides one person in the developing world
safe drinking water for life. There are many great
organizations utilizing funding to make a difference,
but the huge advantage of the Blue Planet Run
Foundation is that every single dollar donated goes
directly to a community-based project in Africa,
Asia, India, Central America, etc. We are lucky to
have the support of Dow Chemical Corporation to cover
our operating expenses and the run expenses, so every
dollar we raise will save lives. Coming from the
nonprofit sector, this is rare and a great use of
philanthropic dollars.
For me, the Blue Planet Run is a great way to marry two things I love: running/physical fitness and working to make a positive difference in the world around me. It is a gift to be able to use my physical strength to support a cause that I feel is extremely important.
GAC: How many miles do you run in a day?
Brynn: As a member of the 20-person Blue Planet Run team, I am running 10 miles per day, every day for 95 days. I run 10 miles per day for four days in a row, after which I have one rest day. My life is now lived in five-day cycles!
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... we have faced wind, rain, 100+ degree heat, thirst, bugs, dirt, pollution, trucks ... basically everything but snow!
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GAC: What countries have you run through and what have you seen?
Brynn: : I have visited 16 countries during the Blue Planet Run: Ireland, the United Kingdom, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, Poland, Belarus, Russia, Mongolia, China, Japan, the United States, and Canada. These countries represent some of the world's richest and poorest, and some of the most densely populated (China) and sparsely populated (Mongolia). The terrain has varied between rolling hills, flat plains, coastlines and mountains; and we have faced wind, rain, 100+ degree heat, thirst, bugs, dirt, pollution, trucks ... basically everything but snow!
It has been fascinating to see the world this way - traveling from one very different country to another - because it makes contrasts between cultures seem particularly stark. Some of the highlights for me have been the former Berlin Wall, quaint and timeless Czech villages, bustling Krakow, the simultaneous breaking and re-building happening in Russia, the vastness of the Gobi desert, the peacefulness of the Japanese islands, and the sweeping red rock of Utah. (NOTE: Many more descriptions are available via my blog at http://blueplanetrun.org/run/brynn).
Read Part Two where Brynn talks about meeting families all over the world who must travel 10 miles just to find safe drinking water.
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