This post is from Rick Matz, author of Cook Ding’s Kitchen, a blog dedicated to the philosophy and study of martial arts. His site is packed with wonderful stories, videos, and articles written by martial arts masters that anyone can understand and enjoy. Check it out – I guarantee it will be worth your time.

While our shared background is in Aikido rather than running, this October Rick will cross the line and run a race with Team World Vision, a charity that provides clean water and sanitation services in Africa. I’m pleased and honored to give him an opportunity to spread the word about his latest challenge and the charity he’s supporting. Here’s Rick.

Jeff was kind enough to allow me to write a guest post here. I appreciate the opportunity to write about running.

I’m 56 years old and I’m not a runner. I haven’t run since I was a teenager and 5 miles was the longest I ever ran back then. Running leaves me with sore ankles and knees. It’s uncomfortable for me. I’d rather do just about anything than run.

A few weeks ago I found out that nearly 800 million people don’t have access to clean drinking water. They drink out of mud holes, out of water holes shared with animals; from wells that are so distant that the women and girls going to fetch the water are subject to assault, abduction and worse.

I live near the Great Lakes and can go out to the middle of Lake Huron and be surrounded by fresh water as far as the eye can see. To lack water is a concept that is kind of hard for me to wrap my head around. But I learned that so many people live in such desperate conditions, and a group named Team World Vision is doing something about it. They distribute personal filter straws, build filtration systems, dig wells, and install rainwater harvesting systems, among other services.

For $50 a person can have clean drinking water for life. And running with Team World Vision gives me an opportunity to raise money for clean water.

And so I’m going to run.

This 56 year old non-runner has signed up to run for Team World Vision in the International Half Marathon (part of the Free Press Marathon) on October 19th. My goal is to raise $100 for each mile of the race, for a total of $1,310. And I’m hoping you’ll support me.

I showed up at the informational meeting held after the service at my church, expecting to simply lend support to one of my daughters who had been talking about signing up for a marathon. The next thing I knew, I was filling out a form and was one of the first to hand it in.

Every dollar counts. Won’t you consider donating to my race? Your contribution will change, and possibly save, someone’s life.

Here is the link to my Team World Vision donation page: http://teamworldvision.donordrive.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.participant&participantID=4068