MNN - Mother Nature Network

Last September, Edward Norton challenged participants on his Crowdrise website to help the New York Road Runners raise $26 million during the NYC Marathon — or $1 million for every mile. When the results came in after the November race, more than $30 million had been collected for charity — a truly epic achievement.

 

So it's no surprise then that organizers of the 2011 LA Marathon saw those results and decided that partnering with Crowdrise would be a wise move for them, too. The goal is to raise $4 million for charity, which should be easily accomplished by leveraging Norton's growing philanthropic community.

 

“Crowdrise is all about giving people the right tools to raise money for their favorite cause in a new, fun and compelling way,” said Norton. “The Honda LA Marathon is an event that truly connects the entire city, and it has the potential to be an incredible fundraising force as well. We are thrilled to be on board this year to help unite the entire LA Marathon running community.”

 

If successful, that $4 million would more than double the charity raised from the race last year — the highest in its 25-year history.

 

“Crowdrise has proven itself as an exciting and engaging new fundraising platform, and we believe it will help bring added life to our fundraising effort,” said Ginger Williams, director of Community Relations for the marathon. “Our partnership with Crowdrise will make it easier than ever for runners to raise money for whatever cause they support, and help them have a lot of fun in the process.”

 

Check out Norton's personal message to LA Marathon runners below. To find out how you can become involved in this year's race and help make a difference, hit the official fundraising page here.