First-Ever World Relay Raises Awareness for Global Water Crisis

First-Ever World Relay Raises Awareness for Global Water Crisis

(ARA) - A renowned jazz musician, a Scottish gardener and a champion marathoner are among the 20 athletes selected as official members of the international team that will run around the world in the inaugural 2007 Blue Planet Run. For these ordinary athletes, this extraordinary undertaking is motivated by a mission surrounding something many Americans take for granted: access to safe drinking water.

More than one billion people are without access to safe drinking water, according to the Water Supply and Sanitation Council. Nearly 2.2 million people, most of them children, die each year due to diseases related to unsafe drinking water, inadequate sanitation and poor hygiene. Water-related illnesses are the single greatest cause of human sickness and death worldwide.

Starting June 1, the Blue Planet Run athletes, representing 13 countries and ranging in age from 23 to 60, embarked on the journey of a lifetime, running 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week, in an unprecedented around-the-world relay. Each runner will run a 10-mile leg daily, with one day off every fifth day, advancing in leap-frog fashion. The Run, made possible by the Dow Chemical Company, will circumnavigate the globe in fewer than 100 days to raise awareness and funds to help bring drinking water to some of the more than one billion people who lack access.

"The water crisis is a worldwide epidemic, affecting more than one-fifth of the world's population," says Andrew Liveris, CEO and chairman of the Dow Chemical Company. "As a global company and a world leader in chemistry, we at Dow are uniquely positioned to help provide safe water to those in need -- and sponsoring this first-ever Blue Planet Run is just one of the ways we are addressing some of the most pressing challenges faced by humankind."

The Blue Planet Run will travel through 16 countries including Ireland, England, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, the Czech Republic, Austria, Poland, Belarus, Russia, Mongolia, China, Japan, Canada and the U.S. Starting in San Francisco, the route traverses the U.S, travelling through 20 states and finishing in New York City on Sept. 4 -- more than 15,000 miles from where it commenced. Events in U.S. cities and towns along the route will mark the Run's arrival, educate local residents about the water crisis and inspire action.

"The global water crisis is one of massive proportions. But there is a solution -- and that solution begins with a step," says Jin Zidell, founder and chairman of Blue Planet Run Foundation. "The 2007 Blue Planet Run team is literally delivering the message of safe drinking water around the globe, through some of the world's most rugged landscape, to reach communities in need while educating people about how they can help make a difference."

Want to do your part? The following are ways you can get involved and help those in need around the world:

* Spread the word: Encourage your family, friends, neighbors and coworkers to learn more about water scarcity and how they can make a difference.

* Donate to the cause: For as little as $30, you can provide one person with a supply of safe drinking water for life. Visit www.blueplanetrun.org to donate. Because of Dow's generous support, 100 percent of all donations to the Blue Planet Run Foundation are distributed directly to water projects around the world.

* Activate the Blue Planet Run in your community: While the Run is underway, communities around the world are supporting the cause with their own local initiatives. Check out the Blue Planet Run Web site to learn how others are activating everything from fun runs to school fundraising competitions to awareness-building events.

Visit www.blueplanetrun.org for more information.

Courtesy of ARAcontent