VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — A 300-plus mile trip to New York City — all on foot.
A local group is running a relay from Virginia Beach to the Big Apple — all with hopes of raising awareness, and help, for the homeless. This is the ninth-annual run that will reach the World Trade Center to raise awareness for the homeless to exercise and get on nutritious programs to build confidence.
“We are going to be in Delaware in the middle of the night,” said Jim White, founder of Lift Fitness Foundation and owner of Fitness Nutrition Studios. “It’s going to be quite cold [and] challenging. We have little sleep. We roughly sleep about an hour-and-a-half.
Twelve runners, eight drivers, two RVs and two lead cars, each 35 miles apart, are all part of the trip.
“We hit that 35 miles and then we drive in front of them 35 miles, so we are leap frogging in front of each other back and forth back and forth,” said Lift Fitness Foundation’s Michael Schaefer, stationed at the Salvation Army.
Until they get to New York City to spread the word and deliver supplies.
“These are running shoes, and we get them per size we have all sizes from 7 to 13. We make sure we get the right size for women and men,” White said. He also said that “this is a problem everywhere. That’s why we are connecting with some of these cities. You notice we have been running to D.C. for eight years now. We are running to New York last year, and this year, and running to Philadelphia next year. These are some of the biggest homeless areas.”
The mission isn’t only delivering supplies, but changing ways of life, and Schaefer looks to make a difference.
“A lot of these guys have a hard life, and they do so much, and they have injuries they don’t know about, and they don’t know how to resolve,” Schaefer said. “I am the guy who comes in and gives them a way to train … to become more healthy.”
For White, he calls this work a passion project.
“Over the last 10 years, the steps we have taken can track over the world four-times,” White said. “It’s amazing how many million steps these individuals have raised.”
If you are interested in helping Jim White’s cause, go to liftfitnessfoundation.org.