The P.A.C.E. Fitness Foundation, Inc.

After I did my 500-mile run through Alaska in 2009, I decided to form a non-profit youth fitness foundation to encourage children on a global scale toward greater health and fitness.

The mission of The P.A.C.E. Fitness Foundation, Inc. has been to encourage, educate, inspire, and motivate children worldwide to adopt life-long habits toward a healthy lifestyle; to expand their knowledge of the world around them; and, to pursue their goals and dreams with the abilities they possess. P.A.C.E. stands for "Promoting Active Children Everywhere."

Over the years, The P.A.C.E. Fitness Foundation has aimed to fulfill its mission through an array of projects and events. The foundation has organized and executed ultra-endurance events (called "PACE Trek") in which I – the organization's founder and president – run across states and countries solo while virtually including children worldwide. During these endurance adventures I use an online classroom to teach about locations, health and fitness, goal setting, and running. Students track my progress in real time and run with me virtually in teams at their schools, trying to accumulate as a group the same distance that I'm accomplishing solo. To date, nearly 100,000 school children from 12 countries have participated in PACE Trek events, logging a total of nearly a half million miles – enough to circle the globe 20 times! With each PACE Trek challenge I have had seven teaching goals:

• The importance of good health/nutrition, as well as the benefits of frequent and consistent exercise.
• The benefits that can be experienced from running and/or walking.
• That if you take care of your body it can take you on some wonderful adventures.
• Interesting information about the various locations that I run through completely alone.
• The importance of setting goals and pursuing dreams, no matter what obstacles might be in front of you.
• That a positive attitude and the desire to positively impact the lives of others can be very rewarding.
• That perseverance can take you places that you never imagined you could get to.

The P.A.C.E. Fitness Foundation has also participated in child-focused health and fitness seminars, as well as presentations at schools, conferences, and other settings. Educational curriculums have also been developed by the foundation to benefit school children, such curriculums promoting an active and healthy lifestyle.

The Board of Directors of The P.A.C.E. Fitness Foundation is responsible for management and oversight of the organization and affairs of the corporation in accordance with its Bylaws. This includes management of the corporate assets and allocation of corporate resources to projects benefiting youth. The P.A.C.E. Fitness Foundation is a tax-exempt, non-profit corporation organized and operated exclusively for charitable purposes within the meaning of Internal Revenue Code Section 501(c)(3). The organization's tax-exempt status began on June 8, 2009.

I'm proud of what has been accomplished through the Foundation since its inception. I thank all who have served, and currently serve, on the Board of Directors. There are more mileposts ahead and The P.A.C.E. Fitness Foundation will continue with its aim of educating, motivating and inspiring young people.

From Him, Through Him, For Him (Romans 11:36),

Paul J. Staso

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Visit my YouTube channel -- https://www.youtube.com/user/pacetrek

Click on any of the links below to see some of my adventure photos:

• United States in 2006 (3,260 miles solo in 108 days at age 41)
• Montana in 2008 (620 miles solo in 20 days at age 43)
• Alaska in 2009 (500 miles solo in 18 days at age 44)
• Germany in 2010 (500 miles solo in 21 days at age 45)
• The Mojave Desert in 2011 (506 miles solo in 17 days at age 46)
• Various Photos From Mileposts Gone By
• Students Worldwide Who Ran With Me Virtually
• Roadside Sights From My Running Adventures
• Some Cycling Moments From The Past