Athlete Profile: Leo Babauta
Leo Babauta, blogger at Zen Habits, has two marathons and a triathlon under his belt, and looks at running as his indispensable form of meditation. For his Train for Humanity event, Leo will be training for the Honolulu Marathon which will be held on December 14, 2008.
Leo struggled in his first marathon and just began to hit his stride in his second marathon, in March 2008, and for the Honolulu Marathon his goal is to take his training to the next level and be in the best shape in his life. With good conditions, he hopes to come in under 4 hours.
On Train for Humanity, Leo said:
“I’m honored to be a part of this new humanitarian program, as I see it as a major tool for people to connect, to motivate themselves to new levels, and most importantly to make a difference in this world. It’s a great accomplishment to train for an endurance event such as a marathon or triathlon … but it’s something completely new and wonderful if you can take that to another level and help people while striving for this accomplishment.”
Aside from being a full-time blogger, Leo is soon to be a published author, and was a journalist for 17 years. He lives with his wife and six kids on the island of Guam, where he lives a simple life of reading, writing, running and spending time with his family.
Hey Leo, I really think this is a great idea and I’d like to help you promote this cause. I think I’ve got the perfect way to do it and have it motivate my readers as well, but need to have your input/permission.
I recently started something on my blog called ‘Motivate2ACTION!’. It’s a way to help my readers not just read and dream about changing their lives but actually get out there and do it. Every month is a different theme that focuses on different areas of our lives. This month is ‘Comfort Zone’, but next months theme will be ‘exercise’.
I can’t think of a better way to encourage my readers to participate in this theme than to have you as our ‘mascot’. I would like to encourage all of those who participate to support you in some kind of way. Whether they sponsor you or promote the cause or both I think that it would be a great motivation to get into shape when we know that you are working so hard to prepare for this event.
I’d even be willing to put up some sort of banner linked to the main site or your sponsor page throughout the month of October. So in other words, when a reader comes to my blog knowing that the theme is ‘exercise’, they can see you training for this event and not only be encouraged to support it/you, but my hope is that they would be inspired to work on getting in better shape themselves.
I think it would be a win-win situation. Let me know what you think. Do you mind being our ‘mascot’ for the month of October? Would you be willing to submit some photos of you training on my community photo page and/or shooting me a few words that I can post to my readers to encourage them to support you/the cause? Let me know if this sounds like something that would help or if you have a better idea. Thanks, Eric.
Hi Leo,
I’ve found lots of motivation through ZenHabits and just wanted to assist in you reaching your wonderful goal :)
Cheers,
hannah
Thank you for the opportunity to do something for the people in Darfur who suffer so much. Leo, I wish you all the best in your training. What a fantastic idea to raise money in this way!
cheers
Mary
Hey Leo,
Love what you’re doing. Tried to sponsor you under ‘You Decide’ and the link isn’t working. Help me donate!
Debbie
Leo, I think it’s great you’re doing this. Make sure you stay healthy by incorporating as much barefoot running into your program as you can, you’ll be injury-free and run easier. Cheers! http://www.barefootrunner.com
Leo,
I made a donation a couple of weeks ago. I’m also interested in joining as an athlete when you guys are ready. The best of luck on the 14th and thanks for making the world a better place one mile at a time!
Good luck on your run! We’re all cheering for you!
My husband and I just attended the funeral for Henry Forrest, who among many other things competed (and finished) in the original full Ironman in Honolulu in 1978 with 14 other men. It is told that he didn’t have a competition bike but borrowed one from a little girl in their neighborhood- complete with banana seat and little basket. Greg and I never met Henry but his daughter has meant a great deal to me and I was more than honored and priviledged to attend that man’s funeral. His story is an inspiration. I know yours is too. I am having coffee with his daughter Toni this Friday morning with a group of other wonderful and Godly women and we will pray for you in your upcoming marathon. God speed Leo!
@DevotionL
THANK YOU to EVERYONE for all of your support and encouragement! It really means a lot, believe me.
All your donations and encouraging words are greatly appreciated. You all are with me on every training run, and you’ll be with me during my marathon. So again, thank you!
Congrats Leo, Again a great cause to Support, sites and causes like this and yours make a great dent in a lot of people, inspiring us to become better human beings. Good luck!!