Running has been an essential part of my life for decades. I want to start using it for a bigger purpose.
Who am I?
I’m Paul Kennedy: a husband and father, a high school English teacher, a dog lover, an avid reader, and a lifelong runner. I started running long distance competitively in junior high school and haven’t stopped. A few years ago, I decided it was time to cut alcohol out of my life, and running became one of my biggest sources of support. I love camping, backpacking, and anything that gets me outdoors. In the Summer of 2024, I completed the Hatfield McCoy Marathon in West Virginia, and I’m ready for my next running adventure!
I need to thank my amazing wife, Carah, and my two boys, Joey, 6, and Sam, 3, for supporting me through all my running and in this plan in particular. Anything I accomplish in my life is due to their love and support, and I’m grateful for them every day!
Why am I running?
It has been a very challenging six months, both for me and many others around the country. In July, my mother, Kathy Kennedy, passed away unexpectedly. When she was in the hospital and we learned that she was unlikely to recover, I went for a hard run, up and down hills and reflected on the pride she had always taken in my running. At the end of the run, I felt a new sense of peace. It made me realize how important physical activity can be in helping us heal.
A few months after that, I broke my foot and had to stop running for five weeks. While I was injured and unable to exercise, I found it harder and harder to process the series of disturbing national and international headlines we have all been confronted with. Now that I am healthy, I want to use this running trip to help heal me, and hopefully inspire others to use exercise for their own healing.
What is my plan?
I’m going to leave my home in Central Indiana at the beginning of July, 2025, and start heading West. My trip will take me all the way out to Seattle and back. I plan to camp almost every night, renting a room only when I need a safe place to leave my Australian Cattle Dog, Mason, when I’m racing. I intended to run 5 half marathons in 5 different states. Here’s my plan:
July 4th: The Rock-It Run in Colorado
July 6th: The Wildflower Run in Wyoming
July 12th: The Madison Half in Montana
July 19th: The Mount Rainier Half in Washington
July 26th: The Idaho Falls Half in Idaho
And I’ll be back in Indiana, ready to start the new school year on August 1st!
Why the National Diaper Bank Network?
I wanted to choose a charitable organization to sponsor with this project that I felt could unite people from a variety of different political and cultural ideologies. I believe that, regardless of your point of view, we all care about children and want to see families succeed in raising them. My wife and I struggled for a long time to have our two boys, and we benefitted greatly from the care and support of a huge network of friends, family, and even strangers. I want to use this project to pay that care and support forward.
The National Diaper Bank coordinates with a variety of organizations throughout the country to eliminate diaper need and address the lack of basic necessities that all families need to thrive. In 2023, they distributed more than 240 million diapers. They are a four star rated charity with an excellent reputation. I am very excited to use this project as an opportunity to help them fulfill their mission. You can read more about them here
How will donations work?
My personal budget for this trip is $2500. That includes $400 for race entry fees, $700 for gas, $800 for food, and $600 for camp ground fees and emergencies.
I’m asking people to donate using the GoFundMe I’ve set up for this campaign. I will put 50% of every contribution toward my expenses for the trip and the other 50% towards donations to the Diaper Bank. Once I have hit my $2500 budget for the trip, I will donate 100% of every additional contribution to the Diaper Bank.
If anything happens that will prevent me from starting or completing the trip, I will donate 100% of all funds received to that point.
If you want to support the Diaper Bank and their mission but would rather not contribute to my trip, I would still encourage you to donate to them directly. Thanks!
How can you get involved?
There are a lot of ways you can be involved in this project!
Of course, you can donate directly to the project.
You can also share this website and my social media links to help spread awareness of the campaign. I’m currently active on Bluesky and Instagram.
You can join me at any of the races I’m planning to run!
You can join me virtually by running on your own on the race days and sharing pictures to my social media accounts.
You can also join the email list for this project in order to receive updates on the project and learn about other ways you can be involved!