There’s no counting how many miles have been run or biked or how many gallons have been sweated to raise funds and awareness for God’s Love We Deliver. Between the Race to Deliver and the Ride for Love, we have some incredible athletes for supporters. The count went up last month, however, when Dixon McDonald led four individuals (teammates, friends, and a stranger-turned-friend!) in an Olympian commitment: a 4x4x48+2. For the uninitiated, that means running 4 miles every 4 hours for 48 hours (and they added 2 on the last run for a nice, round 50!). If you’re like me, you’re thinking, “surely they didn’t run in the middle of the night.” Oh yes they did! These five incredible athletes spent a weekend running for God’s Love We Deliver, raising nearly $20,000 and sharing their great feat with their friends on social media. We called them up to talk about the experience, and ask what motivated them to set an alarm at 2 a.m. for a 4-mile run.
Why’d they lace up their shoes and run around the clock? It all started when Dixon — a triathlete-in-training and an endurance athlete who’s on track to row across the Atlantic Ocean in December — decided to do something for vulnerable folks during COVID-19. As a native New Yorker, Dixon had grown up knowing about God’s Love and he even delivered meals for us with his parents. So, while self-isolating in Florida, Dixon saw a social media post by a friend of his supporting God’s Love and it clicked – Dixon knew what to do. He was going to complete the 4x4x48 Endurance Challenge. The Challenge was created by David Goggins, a retired Navy SEAL and ultra endurance athlete Dixon, Piers, Jeff, Heather and Matteo all deeply respect and admire.