Hi All,

I am seeking any and all vegan/vegetarian athletes out there who are ready to pound some pavement to raise awareness of the benefits of a plant-based diet! 

A little crew of veggie distance runners has been brainstorming about how we could combine our love of running with our love of animals and a compassionate lifestyle.  We think we’ve figured out a way, and we are hoping to recruit more to join us!  We are launching a national network of runners called The Mighty Vegans, and we will be running the Las Vegas Marathon on December 6, 2009, using it as an opportunity to raise awareness of veganism (and vegetarianism---vegetarians are welcome too!).  We will all train on our own and then descend en masse on to the Strip to strut our stuff decked out in message gear and spread the word!  What better way to dispel the myths that a vegan diet is unhealthy and that a vegan lifestyle is one of deprivation, than to prove that you can indeed, complete a full 26.2 mile marathon powered by plants and toughened up by tofu?!

Believe me, I am no elite athlete.  I have two marathons under my belt but am definitely not about to set any records!  (Honestly, I’m pretty slow!)  I completely understand that running a marathon seems totally insane…and in some ways it is!  But if you choose and stick to the right training program, use a slow pace and take lots of nice easy walk breaks, you would be surprised at what you can do!  And the goal here is to finish!  I’m also very certain there are many more experienced marathoners out there in the veggie universe, so why not log those miles with the goal of joining us for the Las Vegas Marathon on 2009?

The success of The Mighty Vegans will really depend on how many people we can get to join.  The goal is to make an impact, and if there are enough of us peppered throughout the course running along in our message gear, there is no way any fellow runners or spectators could miss us.  Please email us at eval(unescape('%64%6f%63%75%6d%65%6e%74%2e%77%72%69%74%65%28%27%3c%61%20%68%72%65%66%3d%22%6d%61%69%6c%74%6f%3a%74%68%65%6d%69%67%68%74%79%76%65%67%61%6e%73%40%67%6d%61%69%6c%2e%63%6f%6d%22%3e%74%68%65%6d%69%67%68%74%79%76%65%67%61%6e%73%40%67%6d%61%69%6c%2e%63%6f%6d%3c%2f%61%3e%27%29%3b')) if you are interested in joining us in Las Vegas in December.  If you’ve ever had the slightest teeniest inkling that running a marathon is something you’d like to cross off your list, this is the time to do it!!!

Cheers,

Liz