"We are looking for David Christof, because we want to fulfil his dream that he has not even dared to dream."

When I talk about the run, one of the questions that always sooner or later comes up, is: "How did you find out about it?"
It all started with an e-mail back in late October. Since I get a lot of junk e-mails, I ALMOST DELETED IT!!! Talk about a fatal error. I am so thankful that I indeed did not deleted it. It was sitting in my in-box for a few days, before I actually read it. After I read it, I was interested, but still was somewhat suspicious. Then I clicked on the BluePlanetRun.org website, looked at it for about 5 minutes, and was hypnotized. I couldn't believe it. I was starring at the screen, unable to believe what I was reading. It was basically saying: "We are looking for David Christof, because we want to fulfil his dream that he has not even dared to dream." Well, they used different words :-) , but that was pretty much it. Wow, running around the world and saving lives at the same time!
I could not sleep that night. I knew I had to apply. I owed it to myself. I owed it to humanity. Once again, my life was about to take a quantum leap.

Now, over 6 months later, I am about 3 weeks away from starting this journey, this mission, this purpose. I found the pivotal e-mail and here it is in its entirety. This e-mail started it all.


From: "RRCA National Office"
Reply-To: office@rrca.org
To: "Oxford ADT Running Club"
Subject: Blue Planet Run Recruits Relay Team
Date: Wed, 25 Oct 2006 13:16:49 -0400

Blue Planet Run Recruits Relay Team

Atlanta,GA - October 19, 2006 ? The Blue Planet Run Foundation is searching for 20 international runners who want to become ambassadors for a global cause - the lack of safe drinking water that affects more than a billion people worldwide.

Apply to join the inaugural Blue Planet Run® - a relay event that will travel more than 12,000 miles - and help raise awareness of the affordable and achievable solutions that exist TODAY to solve this challenge.

For the 2007 Run, 20 runners will run in a relay format around the world, traveling more than 12,000 miles in less than 100 days. Produced by Atlanta-based ignition, Inc., a worldwide expert in global marketing event management, the 2007 Run will visit 16 countries, including Ireland, Great Britain, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Czech Republic, Austria,Poland, Belarus, Russia, Mongolia, China, Japan, Canada and the United States.

“The lack of access to safe drinking water is a harsh reality that faces nearly 20 percent of the world’s population,” said Jin Zidell, founder of the Blue Planet Run Foundation. “However, solutions exist that are affordable, achievable and sustainable. The 2007 Run will be a clarion call to the world to respond to this challenge, and the relay team a catalyst through which our message will be broadcast.”

This past weekend, October 13 - 15, the Blue Planet Run took thousands of steps towards success as ignition produced a 48-hour test event in South Georgia. “The test event was well planned,” said Tina Klien, a test event participant and Director of Community Outreach for the Atlanta Track Club. “I truly saw team work not only with the running teams but also with the entire crew. Everyone from support to logistics to runners rallied around this great cause.”

“It’s exciting to watch as a simple run is capturing the imagination and attention of so many people, and then focusing that attention on one of the Earth’s largest health and sustainability issues: the lack of safe drinking water, predominantly within developing countries,” explained Mark “Dill” Driscoll, chairman of ignition. “The test event brought the Run to life last weekend as 18 runners took turns pounding the pavement for 48 hours straight, providing a real-time test for the
operations and logistics planning.”

The Blue Planet Run Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to raising global awareness of the devastating effect that lack of access to safe drinking water has on the health and communities of one-fifth of the global population and of the existence of solutions to the crisis that are achievable, affordable and sustainable. Working as a catalyst and a bridge, the Foundation encourages responsibility toward the environment, and connects effective non-governmental organizations with funding. The Foundation’s signature event for its awareness and fundraising campaign is the Blue Planet Run, an around-the-world relay event. More information about the Foundation and the 2007 Run is available at http://www.blueplanetrun.org.


ignition is an experiential marketing and media resource built on a passion for bringing brands to life around the world. The agency works with its corporate partners to create strategically-focused and relevant brand messages that are delivered in a multi-sensory context to engage, educate and entertain the consumer. After more than a decade of producing some of the most memorable mobile marketing tours, ignition recently was honored to organize and manage two simultaneous tours: the 2006 Olympic Torch Relay and the FIFA World Cup™ Trophy Tour. For more information, please visit: http://www.ignition-inc.com.

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The Road Runners Club of America is a non-profit organization of over 700 running clubs and 175,000 members across the United States. The RRCA chapters organize races, have training runs, provide safety guidelines, promote children's and masters fitness running programs, and have social programs. http://www.RRCA.org