Grace's Kids International Pledges Support to Race Across the USA Marathon Series

PALM DESERT, Calif. - Aug. 7, 2014 - PRLog -- The Race Across the USA is a 3,080-mile transcontinental footrace during 2015, running coast to coast from California to Washington DC. The motivating cause for this event is the childhood obesity epidemic in the United States. According to the CDC, childhood obesity has more than doubled in children and quadrupled  in adolescents in the past 30 years. At the present time, 12.5 million children, ages 6-19 in the United States, are obese. Many more are overweight. Children and adolescents who are obese are likely to be obese as adults and are therefore more at risk for adult health problems such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, several types of cancer and osteoarthritis.

Gracie’s Kids International (GKI), a non-profit organization dedicated to kidney disease awareness, has agreed to support Race Across the USA. "We plan to play an active role by finding runners and volunteers for this marathon series," says Christie Richardson, Program Director at GKI. Research shows that individuals who meet the definition of obesity at any age are three to four times more likely to develop chronic renal failure (CRF). Chronic renal failure is a gradual, irreversible loss of kidney function that can lead to end-stage renal disease (ESRD), a permanent loss of kidney function requiring dialysis or kidney transplantation.

The goals for the Race Across the USA are threefold:

* Raise awareness about childhood activity and fitness in young people

* Raise funds to sponsor students who cannot afford the cost of qualified activity programs

* Visit schools along the route to inspire students to lead active lives

Gracie’s Kids International is a  Christian-based, non-profit organization dedicated to providing comfort and care with donation-supported programs directly improving the well-being of chronic kidney disease patients with education programs, legal services, community outreach initiatives, and international humanitarian support. To learn more about Gracie’s Kids International, contact Christie Richardson at  crichardson@gracieskids.org or visit www.gracieskids.org.

The Race Across the USA will start in California and end in Maryland, covering a total of 12 states (CA, AZ, NM, TX, LA, AR, MS, AL, GA, SC, NC, VA) plus Washington DC. A dozen or so athletes will run across the United States, coast to coast. In addition, a limited number of others may sign up to run across a state or take part in one of 13 four-day events. The total distance of the route is approximately 3,080 miles. The event is scheduled to begin on January 16, 2015. To learn more about the Race Across the USA, contact the author or visit www.raceacrossusa.org.