350 miles for one amazing purpose! Please help if you can!

Hi friends! Below is a letter from from 3 amazing athletes that I know personally very well. All 3 of these athletes have done so much for me during all of my running advantures. Supporting each other is something that I love about ultra running. The amazing community of people who come together in the face of about all life has to bring. Please take a few moments to read the letter below. Consider making a donation to the Challenged Athletes Foundation to support Tony, Chris and Jarom.
100% of your money donated will go to help those in need. I am so proud and inspired of this journey they are taking on!

Running for a purpose...it does not get any better then this.
Thank you...love to all..Lisa



In just a few days we (me, Chris and Jarom) will embark on an epic adventure in support of the Challenged Athletes Foundation. With the help of Lynne Hewett and others, we will attempt to become the first known individuals to run the entire length of the Caminho Da Fé (Path of Faith) in Brazil, covering around 350 miles (more or less) over a 7 day period (see a map of our planned route here : http://tinyurl.com/48lsduo).

Yet, what is most important is not simply covering the distance, or becoming the first to do so, as our hope and primary goal is not only to become “pilgrims” but to also raise funds and awareness for the Challenged Athletes Foundation, an amazing charity that provides opportunities and support to people with physical disabilities so they can pursue active lifestyles through physical fitness and competitive athletics. You and your friends can still make a donation in support of the Challenged Athletes Foundation online at the following link : http://tinyurl.com/ydxpyou. We are still short of our $40,000 fundraising goal, but with one final push we know we can make it.

We will be arriving in São Paulo, Brazil on Monday, January 17. Our anticipated running schedule is as follows :

Tuesday 1/18 – Thursday 1/20 : Run from Cravinhos to São João da Boa Vista (approximately 133 miles), stopping each night.
Friday 1/21 – Sunday 1/23 : Run the Brazil 135 Mile Ultramarathon, from São João da Boa Vista to Paraisópolis, running continuously until we finish.
Monday 1/24 – Tuesday 1/25 : Run from Paraisópolis to Aparecida (approximately 84 miles), stopping each night.

With the help of a SPOT Satellite GPS Messenger, starting on Monday, January 17 you will have the ability to track our progress in near real time using Google Maps at the following link : http://tinyurl.com/4ns88ts – this link will NOT go “live” until we arrive in Brazil on Monday.

The SPOT Satellite GPS Messenger will send our GPS coordinates to our Shared Page map every 10 minutes while we are in motion (assuming we are in a location that permits it to obtain a satellite signal), so make sure to check the map often to see where we are and where we have been. The only negative with the Shared Page, but it is not a big negative at all, is that the default setting on the Shared Page calls for it to display the "Messenger Route" by drawing an orange line between each successive way-point recorded on the map. Of course, this can lead to the mis-reporting of our actual route as the line drawn is simply the shortest distance between the two way-points (which are taken every 10 minutes). But, this feature can be turned off by each person accessing the Shared Page - simply right click on any one of the Track Progress messages on the left hand side of the map page and select "Hide Messenger Route," and that will do it. If you want to see a sample of what the tracking will look like, take a look at this link which shows tracking at last weekend’s Walt Disney World Marathon : http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0lGLgzXjoRuibuOkInaqZRFWQPBkn3Egq

In addition, we will be able to periodically send some of you a pre-set “Check-in/OK” or “Custom Message”, notifying you of our current location. When you click on the link in that pre-set message it will take you to a map that only shows our current location. To see the entire bread-crumb trail of where we have been, always go to the main Google Map at this link : http://tinyurl.com/4ns88ts

There are so many people we must thank for this tremendous opportunity:

First and foremost, Chris Kostman, and Mario and Eliana Lacerda. Without their vision and unyielding dedication to ultra-endurance sports, the Brazil 135 Ultramarathon and these types of opportunities would be few and far between. By establishing, developing and supporting events like the Brazil 135 Ultramarathon and the Badwater Ultramarathon, they have created forums that encourage athletes to challenge, and learn from, themselves in epic races in extreme conditions - opportunities that exist nowhere else. They provide a true opportunity to experience the triumph of the human spirit, and for that we are forever grateful.

Clóvis Tavares de Lima and his wife for signing on to support this adventure, and for being one of the founders of the Caminho Da Fé.

All of our sponsors: The Challenged Athletes Foundation, Phix Energy Drink, Drymax Socks and Cleanse Organic.

Rick Gaston for his tremendous work in designing the Running the Caminho Da Fé t-shirt, and Emmy Stocker for all of her hard work in producing those t-shirts.

Finally, of course, we cannot adequately express how grateful and appreciative we are for the amazing support and encouragement of our family and friends, as well as for the many donations that have been made to the Challenged Athletes Foundation. Without that support and encouragement, none of this would be possible. You all will be constantly in our thoughts as we progress on a path toward becoming true Pilgrims.

Chris, Jarom & Tony