Ecorazzi

Edward Norton has become the latest celebrity to tie up the laces and start training for the New York City Marathon. Beyond personal fitness, Norton is taking on the 26.2 mile-long challenge to benefit the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust — an organization working to promote sustainable development while protecting the east African grasslands that the Maasai tribe calls home. According to CNN, both the traditional tribe’s way of life and its environment have been threatened by rapid industrial development. From the article,

Norton discovered, and became a supporter of, the trust about 10 years ago during his first visit to Kenya, where he met founder Luca Belpietro. “I was impressed at the way he was really genuinely working with the community to create value out of being good stewards of the land,” Norton said.  The Maasai are at the heart of Kenya’s long tradition of distance running. Norton said one of the runners, safari guide Parashi Ntanin, is so fast he could probably leave the rest of the group behind and run the race in less than 2½ hours. Norton said he’s run as much as 15 miles twice during his training for the 26.2-mile marathon and that despite some leg and knee pains, he’s confident he’ll finish the endurance race.

You can get updates on Edward Norton’s training for the marathon by following him on Twitter @EdwardNorton. We wish him the best of luck in kicking up the pavement this November 1st. Check out the video below:

Photo credit: Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust