Brushing your teeth. Cooking. Showering. Laundry. And of course, drinking. These are all areas where we (as humans) need water. The average American in fact, uses almost 100 gallons of water a day. For many of us, the privilege of water is just a tap or water fountain away.

But, what would you do for clean water? For the 703 million people living without it around the world, the answer is anything. And they do: they walk miles every day, in treacherous conditions and extreme heat, just to access water that makes them sick — or worse.

Across the world, it is women and girls that are disproportionately affected by the water crisis. In fact, in 80% of households, they are the ones that are responsible for water collection. As a result of this, women and girls lose more than 200 million hours each year walking for water; time that could have been spent in school, parenting, or resting. Additionally, more than 290,000 children die each year because of the water crisis.

I'm deeply proud and incredibly honored to be running the 2024 NYC Marathon on behalf of charity: water because I believe that access to clean drinking water is a fundamental and inalienable human right. On average, women and girls living in rural communities will walk 111 miles for water in a single month. In playing a small part by running a fraction of this amount, I hope to raise more awareness in the importance of creating a more just and equitable world where every person has access to a necessity that we far too often take for granted.

It is for this reason that I ask you (the reader), to please support $40 or more to my campaign. Why $40 you may ask? Because that's how much it costs to give one person access to clean water for their lifetime. For the cost of a dinner night out, a week's worth of groceries, a concert ticket, a new hoodie, etc -- you can play a big role in helping to end the water crisis.

By fundraising $10,000, I hope to help build a water project for an entire at-risk community (250 people). Most importantly, 100% of every dollar you donate will go directly to providing the life-changing gift of clean water where it’s needed most. Thanks to generous private donors that cover charity: water's overhead costs, all donations will support their clean water efforts globally. Furthermore, charity: water will even report back with details of where your money went, and how it’s helping via GPS coordinates, photos, and more.

Running the NYC Marathon has been a forever dream of mine since I was a child, and there is no other organization I could be prouder to run for. Having broken my ankle in November 2023, there has not been a time in my life where I have been more passionate about running and being on the road. Throughout these 18 weeks of training, I expect to face an unprecedented physical and mental challenge, but knowing that each mile I run will go towards changing more than 250 lives impacted by the water crisis makes it all the worthwhile and incredibly important.

I cannot however, do this without the help of my family, loved ones, friends, and community. Please join me in this mission to help provide clean drinking water to people everywhere. You support and contributions truly mean the whole world.

Love,
Tony