Meet Sam Fox.

Who is he?  Sam is a 23-year-old in the midst of an unbelievable, treacherous, and inspiring challenge: to run the entire 2,650 miles of the Pacific Coast Trail in less than 65 days. If he completes this challenge, he’ll break the current speed record, but that entails running an average of 40 miles a day for two months.

Did you hear that? 40 miles a day for two months! That’s nuts! But Sam has trained all year for this—and he’s determined to complete the challenge which started on August 25th. 

Why is he doing this? His run is a charitable endeavor organized by his foundation, Run While You Can, to raise awareness and money for Parkinson’s disease research. Sam’s mom, Lucy, was diagnosed with the disease more than a decade ago—and Sam started his foundation in her honor. The 22-year-old runner’s goal is to raise $250,000 for the Michael J. Fox Foundation.

 Where is he? Right now Sam is trekking through California, making his way south over tricky terrain. Sam’s run, which will take him over 60 major mountain passes and past more than 1,000 lakes will be daunting and sometimes impossible, not to mention filled with blisters, strained muscles and constant exhaustion.

RunWhileYouCan.org's blog is chronicling Sam’s adventure: the good, the bad and everything in between. Besides amazing photos and very witty commentary, you get an unfiltered look at the athlete and the challenge.

To donate to the cause, visit RunWhileYouCan.org.  You can also volunteer help set up support points, help haul food and water, or even run a section of the trail with him. Or simply follow along on his blog, cheering him on from afar, and watch him make his dream come true.

P.S. - Sam is not related to Michael J. Fox but we are sure Michael will want to adopt him after this heroic mission!