Maine Runner in Homestretch of Grueling Program to Run 500 Miles in March to Raise Money for Camp Sunshine

As part of his 1 More Mile For Sunshine Challenge, Blaine Moore has added one more mile each day to his runs throughout the month - special event at Camp Sunshine on Saturday for final run

CASCO, Maine (March 30, 2012) – A Maine runner who fell short of his goal two years ago said he is determined to run 500 miles in March to raise money for Camp Sunshine, a one-of-a-kind national retreat in Casco, Maine for children with life-threatening illnesses and their families.

Blaine Moore is in the grueling final days of his 1 More Mile For Sunshine Challenge (www.1MoreMileforSunshine.com) – a Herculean effort to add one more mile each day to his training runs throughout the month.

How difficult is this effort? Over the last 10 days of March, Moore’s average distance will be the equivalent of running a 26.2-mile marathon every day. He started this week off on Monday (March 26) with 26 miles, followed up with 27 miles on March 27 and 28 miles yesterday (March 28). He is tackling 29 miles today (March 29).

Moore's fundraiser will culminate with a special event at Camp Sunshine on Saturday (March 31) from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. A beautiful loop course (3 to 5 miles) has been set up through the woods, trails and beaches in and around Sebago Lake State Park and the Camp Sunshine grounds. Moore is inviting friends and supporters to join him for all or part of his 31-mile run that day, or just to come and celebrate the achievement. The run is free and open to the public - donations are encouraged. Tours of Camp Sunshine also will be available. More info on the event can be found at his 1 More Mile for Sunshine website.

“Camp Sunshine is great organization that helps not just children with serious illnesses but their entire families,” Moore said. “My goal is to raise $6,000, enough to pay for three families to come to Camp Sunshine and take advantage of these valuable services.”

For daily updates from Moore, or to donate money to his solo fundraiser, visit www.1MoreMileforSunshine.com.

(Moore's exploits were highlighted Thursday in a story by Glenn Jordan in the Portland Press Herald.)

Nestled alongside the shores of beautiful Sebago Lake, Camp Sunshine (www.campsunshine.org) offers children with life-threatening illnesses and their families a place to relax together for a week and to take a break from the extraordinary demands placed on them on a daily basis.

The year-round program is free of charge and staffed almost entirely by volunteers. It is the only program in the nation whose mission is to address the impact of a life-threatening illness on every member of the immediate family.

Moore attempted a similar fundraiser in January 2010, but fell short of his running goal, bowing out on day 25 due to persistent inclement weather and a knee injury. He returned on Jan. 31 to run 31 miles with friends, helping him reach 349.5 miles in total.



This time, a determined Moore said his body is sound and the March weather is more than cooperating, giving him confidence he can complete his goal.

Moore, 32, is an avid runner and coach at the Maine Running Company in Portland. He has run 23 marathons and 9 ultra-marathons in 16 different states in his career.

Moore has logged 412.58 miles through Wednesday, March 28, 6.58 miles more than the required 406 miles so far. (He has covered that distance in 62 hours, 31 minutes – a 9:00-per-mile pace.) If he keeps on his progressively more grueling schedule, he will run more than 500 miles in all – with the final week totaling more than 200 miles alone.

The rules permit Moore to run more than once per day to reach his daily goal, but the miles must take place between midnight and 11:59 p.m. that evening.



“Blaine is a true friend of Camp Sunshine and we remain so grateful for what he is determined to achieve, all for the good of the children and families that we serve,” said Matthew Hoidal, executive director of Camp Sunshine. “We hope people will recognize the difficulty of what he is attempting here and support his cause. We wish him all the luck.”

Camp Sunshine recently received a coveted 4-star rating from Charity Navigator, the nation’s leading independent charity evaluator. The rating placed Camp Sunshine 39th in the country out of thousands of charities that were exhaustively analyzed for financial oversight, management and transparency.

About Camp Sunshine
Camp Sunshine offers children with life-threatening illnesses and their families a place to relax together for a week, and to take a break from the extraordinary demands placed upon them on a daily basis. The year-round program is free of charge and staffed almost entirely by volunteers. It is the only program in the nation whose mission is to address the impact of a life-threatening illness on every member of the immediate family — the ill child, the parents and the siblings. Since its inception in 1984, Camp Sunshine has provided a haven for more than 32,000 individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds. In addition to providing 24-hour on-site medical and psychosocial support, the camp offers a variety of daily activities, including swimming, boating, archery and soccer, and special events such as bonfires and cookouts. To support Camp Sunshine, please call (207) 655-3800 or visit www.campsunshine.org.

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Here is more information about Camp Sunshine