My wife, Tina, is halfway through her marathon training plan, and each weekend she's running farther than ever before. Last weekend she pushed herself to finish a 14-mile run. Being of sound mind, you may wonder why people do this to themselves.
Deciding and preparing to run a marathon is a deeply personal experience. People run marathons to test their strength and push their limits. They want to inspire their children to live healthy lives. Or, like me, they want to celebrate life after 40 by accomplishing something extraordinary.
Tina is turning her personal journey into something more. She is committed to making this world that we share just a bit better. She wants to put an end to the unnecessary violence that threatens our world's elephant population. These peaceful and caring animals are the world's largest land species, and they are being mercilessly hunted and slaughtered by ivory poachers.
Ninety-six elephants are killed in Africa every day.
Elephants lovingly take care of each other, compassionately live and learn together in extended families, and painfully mourn their dead. Experienced matriarchs use their powerful memories to teach the herd critical survival lessons. The mother passes on wisdom from earlier generations that helps the herd avoid danger and find food and water during times of scarcity.
Much like our children, young elephants need about 13 years of care before they're ready to be independent. When their mothers are taken from them, the young elephants grieve deeply, even shedding tears and suffering depression.
Driven by the demand for ivory, ruthless poachers slaughter elephants for their tusks. These brutal hunters are using helicopters, GPS technology, and automatic weapons to take down these majestic animals. It is our responsibility as stewards of this earth to put an end to this atrocious crime by pledging not to buy or sell ivory, and by supporting wildlife conservation efforts.
On Oct. 26, Tina will be running the Marine Corps Marathon to help save the world's elephant population. When the miles become difficult, and she struggles to find strength, she will be encouraged by your generous support.
Please click here to see how you can help save the elephants.