After receiving overwhelming support from the American people on The Run 2011, and recognizing that The Run’s work is just beginning, what actually began as a one time run across the USA for natural medicine, is now blossoming into a extremely needed permanent organization to help transform America’s health. Despite the many obstacles on a run of this nature, the runners agreed that any discomfort paled in comparison to the seeds that were planted in the form of conversations with thousands of Americans, in the sixteen states of last year’s run! Potentially millions of people were reached through the mass media. The runners and other Run supporters were able to talk with thousands of enthusiastic and spirited American people – ranging from: 24 U.S. Members of Congress, and high school classes in Washington, DC, to shop owners in Winnemucca, Nevada, to a 20 year pregnant waitress in Kansas, to college students in Dayton, OH.

Among the many people that know of The Run, a virtual consensus exists across the USA that The Run’s mission – to improve the health of the American people through healthy lifestyle management and increase awareness of, and access to, natural medicine, including naturopathic medicine – reached the hearts of the American people, and is making a difference! If, even in only a small way, The Run is significant in helping to lead to the transformation of our nation’s health! What we can do, we must do!

The movement is far from over, as there are still tens of millions of Americans still suffering from often preventable conditions, such as diabetes, obesity, heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s Disease, and depression, and awareness and access to natural medicine, for most Americans, is limited!

By Dennis Godby, ND

The Run: Moving Natural Medicine Forward (TheRun.org), the grassroots movement to transform America’s health through lifestyle change and natural medicine, runs again in 2012! Fresh from last year’s record-breaking 3,100 miles – Jeremiah Godby, the youngest male since 1928 to run across the USA – will begin a 1,000 mile “solo and unsupported” (meaning no support vehicle following) southbound run – from the Canadian-American border at Peace Arch International Park on Saturday, August 11, and ending in Sacramento at the California State Capitol on Thursday, September 13. See Jeremiah’s full itinerary below!

Jeremiah’s older brother, Isaiah, 21, who ran with Jeremiah in last year’s cross country run, was deeply moved by his younger brother’s decision during last year’s run to make this 2012 run for America’s health.  Isaiah will oppose his brother, running the 725 mile northbound journey from San Diego, beginning on Saturday, August 18^th.  The Godby brothers will join forces on Wednesday, September 12^th when they will meet in Davis and make the final trek to arrive together at the California State Capitol on Thursday, September 13^th.  See Isaiah’s full itinerary below!

Jeremiah and Isaiah have planned their runs as “solo and unsupported,” on their respective northward and southbound runs to simplify their runs, logistically and financially, and to maximize media attention and community organizing for their cause of a healthier nation, not on their physical needs. Both Jeremiah and Isaiah, as aspiring naturopathic doctors, are hoping that local event planners organize around The Run as an opportunity to increase local awareness of naturopathic medicine and how simple lifestyle changes can lead to a healthier nation. Of course, with the two young men each running 30 miles a day, needing to carry a few necessities with them on their journey, and burning 8,000 – 9,000 calories, food and shelter for their hungry and tired bodies would be appreciated and welcome!

Jeremiah’s story of transformation will capture the hearts of the Northwest, and possibly the entire nation. As a 17-year-old teen, Jeremiah weighed 210 pounds, was anything but a  runner, and possibly on a path towards diabetes. But to inspire and challenge himself, Jeremiah made a surprise decision to join the cross country team the summer before his senior year at Davis High School. Through his training, he fell in love with running and also learned the discipline to eat healthier, which supported his running and weight loss goals. In the process, he lost 45 pounds, and decided to join The Run team, consisting of his dad, brother and cousin.

The Run 2011 was founded to raise awareness of naturopathic medicine throughout the nation, in primarily unlicensed states. The Run 2012 will largely focus on gathering momentum for The Run’s mission in three of the most significant states in the USA for naturopathic medicine: Washington, Oregon and California. All three states are: licensed for naturopathic medicine and homes for naturopathic colleges, Bastyr University (Seattle, WA), National College of Natural Medicine (Portland, OR), and Bastyr’s new California naturopathic college in San Diego, CA, opening in the fall of 2012.

Isaiah’s Itinerary on The Run 2012 South

The Run 2011 took Dr Dennis Godby and his family on a marathon-a-day experience across the country to spread the word about natural medicine. From high speed chases and RV breakdowns in the desert to surprising support for natural medicine and the planning for future runs YOU could be a part of, Dr Dennis Godby has written the following for those of you who want to know what happened this year in this record breaking event... and for those who wish to relive it.  Read more!

The Run: Moving Natural Medicine Forward

An Epic Run across America, as summarized by Dr. Dennis Godby, Founder and Runner

Imagine, two older men drinking beer in a western Ohio bar, being inspired and quickly becoming emotional and raising their hands to give a "high five" as if their favorite team just scored a point- all to show their enthusiasm and support for The Run: Moving Natural Medicine Forward! These men got “it” – how desperately it was time for the American people to take their health into their own hands and DO SOMETHING about it and how encouraged they were that 4 men would run across the country to promote health and natural medicine!

Scenes like the two men above were typical across the country, whether it was a small business owner in Nevada, or a college student in Ohio, or a high school kid working at an RV campground in Utah, or a 20 year old pregnant waitress at Pizza Hut in Kansas, or the other thousands of people we encountered on The Run, people were genuinely moved by the very idea of people running 3,100 miles across the USA. A 30 mile per day pace raised eyebrows everywhere across the country in our effort to transform America’s health through lifestyle change and natural medicine.

The American public clearly demonstrated a thirst for preventative healthcare solutions that likened our arduous thirst for water as we ran through the Nevada desert. We consistently observed an overwhelming acknowledgement that America is too dependent on drugs – pharmaceutical drugs!

It wasn't all smooth sailing, or I should say, smooth running. We definitely had our moments over the 124 days - when we were unsure if our bodies and traveling "home" (motor home) would make it all the way to our ending point in Bridgeport, CT.  Just a few of the vehicle problems we encountered were:

• three tires blowing out on the freeway before the run even started,
• breaking down at night in a Pennsylvania pitch black night, what I called the local "Bermuda Triangle,"
• or our hole in the gas tank gasoline spill in a parking lot that required a local fire department to clean up for 4-6 hours,
• or how about the time the tires locked up while we were climbing and descending curves in the Rocky Mountains?

At one point in Media, PA, we got stuck, literally between a "rock and a hard place."  Oh, just one more for fun, the fuse on the radiator blew out just as we were ready to climb one of the steepest sections of the Appalachian highway. But, the bottom line is, we kept determined and MOVING: pulling resources together and kept our eye on our goal. With tremendous support from generous Americans across the country, we reached our many destinations and our final ending point for this run in Connecticut, as we received a tremendous welcome and celebration at the University of Bridgeport!

Possibly the greatest accomplishment of The Run, was not killing or injuring each other after "living" together for 124 days (71 nights actually sleeping together in the motor home) in an old RV that was, literally, falling apart. There were no "comforts" such as electricity, WiFi, water for showers, safely refrigerated food; mechanically, we were just waiting for the next "shoe to fall" never knowing when or where the RV would break down next, or what interior gadget would break next. Our support/recovery specialist, Michael, ended up disconnecting the battery cables each night to better ensure the RV would start the next morning! After a while, we just had to laugh. Our modest shelter (RV) was leaking so badly a few times, that one night before bed, I said my goodbyes to Michael, "in case we all float away, it has been wonderful working with you."

Did I mention the wild lions, wolves, tigers, bears and monkeys that were on the loose just a few miles from where we were running - seriously - this was a world-wide story from Zanesville, OH, on October 18. You can google it! Another day, we were running along a Utah highway, minding our own business, when a high speed chase ensued, with, literally, cops chasing the robbers, until the "bad guys" crashed and were captured in front of our eyes.

But, as the saying goes, “what doesn't kill you, makes you stronger!” Among all of the bumps and struggles along the way, the little nuisances we endured paled in comparison to: the joy we felt for the many amazing experiences we had, gratitude for the people we met along the way and the relationships formed. There were so many out-stretched hands and homes to provide a warm shelter and meal, it would be impossible to forget and too numerous to try to mention.

The Run was, and will continue to be, a grassroots effort to transform America's health. All activists must understand that, as Gandhi said, "the minority leads the majority." The minority of NDs who seized the opportunity to get involved in The Run in whatever way that they deemed appropriate, I was completely impressed, and I couldn't be any happier about their support. They stood up and asked to be counted on behalf of spreading the word about naturopathic medicine. Quite a few NDs told us they didn't know how to organize an event, who didn’t see themselves as activists, but are now completely hooked by The Run, and were completely overjoyed by their participation and new sense of empowerment!