Running 26.2 miles, it turns out, was a piece of cake. Finishing the 2012 Virgin London Marathon last April (in 4:23) was easy, compared with (A) training for it in New York in February and March, (B) training for it at all in Austin during SXSW, and (C) raising 5k GBP for the Elton John AIDS Foundation, with the help of 103 of my closest friends and family.

 

So now, I’m gearing up to do this again (trying to break 4:16), racking up the miles to date in a cyclone in Sydney, a blizzard in NYC, and in Central Park with the raccoons and other semi-sketchy nocturnal wildlife. And I’m going to ask you again to sponsor my training and my marathon with a donation to the Elton John AIDS Foundation. It’s going to be harder this year, I imagine, without the novelty of my virgin effort. I think you’ll agree that I’ve been pretty good about supporting your charities and cookie drives over the years, and I’ve never asked anything myself until now. And this part of it is really, really hard for me.

 

Now as ever, running and donating are far easier than what EJAF has accomplished in 20+ years. They’ve helped raise hundreds of millions of dollars for those living through the health crisis of our lifetime. They’ve also raised awareness of the causes and effects of HIV, helped remove the associated stigma around the world, and provided financial support to millions of those affected. Elton himself told the International AIDS Conference last year, “The AIDS disease is caused by HIV. But the AIDS epidemic is caused by stigma, violence, and indifference.” I’m proud to work for a company that’s done so much for tolerance and relief around the world. And I’m proud of my friends, who’ve demonstrated their compassion and concern by sponsoring the small part I’ll be playing for the second year.

 

Thanks again for helping the Elton John AIDS Foundation work toward its goal of an AIDS Free Future. It looks like Just Giving has made it easier to donate in dollars this year (just the way I like it: no math). And you can check out the EJAF website for more info on the incredible work they do: http://ejaf.com/about/