1,001 Miles Defined 

Some months ago, I watched as an amazing support community of family and friends formed around dear friends of ours whose daughter was diagnosed with cancer. This community helped pay medical bills, dropped off home cooked meals, signed up for around-the-clock on call support and posted inspirational messages for the family online.

While on a run one Sunday morning, it struck me that some families in similar circumstances do not benefit from such an amazing support community and that even those families who do have a support community as strong as our friend's still have needs that their support community can not provide.

Thankfully there are organizations that can meet such needs. One such organization here in Oregon is the Children's Cancer Association, a non profit, offering award winning programs, information, advocacy and support to help enrich the quality of life for seriously ill children and their families nationwide.

It was on that Sunday run that I decided to run for a purpose, to make every footfall count. After a few more runs thinking about how best to make a difference, I decided to set a goal of running 1001 miles in one year to raise funds for Children's Cancer Association. 

How 1,001 Miles Works 

Donations for Children's Cancer Association will be raised through per mile pledges from individuals and by matching pledges by businesses.

Individuals who wish to participate can choose a per mile amount to pledge. At the end of the year, that individual will make a donation to Children's Cancer Assocation equal to the amount of their per mile pledge multiplied by the number of miles I am able to run (up to 1,001). For example, an individual pledge of $0.10 per mile will pay $50 if I run 500 miles over the year or $100.10 if I run the full 1,001 miles. 

Business owners who wish to participate can also make pledges on behalf of their business.

At the end of the year when pledges are called in, 100% of all donations will go to Children's Cancer Association (all checks will be written to directly to Children's Cancer Association). All donations are tax deductable.

How to Make a Pledge

To make an individual pledge or a pledge on behalf of your business, click on the appropriate link above. Pledges can be made throughout the run year. All participating individuals and businesses will be listed on the "Friends of 1,001 Miles" page. Pledge totals will be tracked on the home page of this site.

The Run

I picked up running after my father died of heart failure at age 65. I have become a regular runner and have run in four half marathons and one marathon. Over the past two years I have averaged somewhere between 500 and 750 miles per year. 1001 miles will be a significant challenge for me. Meeting the goal will require a pace of approximately 20 miles per week over the course of the year.  Two-three short runs (3-5 miles) will be scheduled on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays and one long run (10-12 miles) on Sundays. Note: the run started on 9/27/07, but you can still make a business pledge and/or an individual pledge at any time during the run year. I am keeping a blog called Notes from the Road, documenting my run statistics and my thoughts from the street level. Additionally my progress towards the 1,001 miles is being tracked on the home page and the pledge details page on this site.

Why 1001 Miles and not 1000 Miles?

The first 1,000 miles will be run to benefit children with cancer and their families. The extra mile will be in honor of all children that pass away due to cancer during the year of the run.

Thank you for your support,

Chris Chiacchierini 

If you have questions about 1,001 miles, please feel free to email me.