The P.A.C.E. Fitness Foundation Still Exists!

The P.A.C.E. Fitness Foundation, Inc. is a youth fitness Foundation that I launched many years ago. The Foundation's mission 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. I've literally run thousands of miles to try and be a living example of what P.A.C.E. is all about. P.A.C.E. stands for "Promoting Active Children Everywhere."

In November 2016 I announced that I'm retired from running across states and countries. As a result, there may be those who would think that The P.A.C.E. Fitness Foundation no longer exists. It DOES still exist! In fact, I just filed the corporation's annual report this week with the office of the Secretary of State. 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).

So, why would I keep the Foundation operating if I am no longer running across states and countries? Wasn't my ultra-endurance adventure runs the cornerstone of the Foundation? What are the Foundation's plans for the future? How will the Foundation "encourage, educate, inspire and motivate children worldwide" without me pushing "BOB" (my support stroller) across vast amounts of land, speaking in schools, and doing media interviews? Those are all excellent questions, and ones that I'm still thinking through the answers for.

For now, all I can say is that the Foundation is still in existence. Annual reports and tax filings are occurring, and the Foundation is in "good standing" with the Secretary of State. I have no intention of allowing the Foundation to cease.

Sure, there are days when I miss pushing the edge of the envelope on a solo ultra-endurance run... and running up to a school to do an assembly... and seeing the smiles on the kids' faces. It was always the kids that kept me pushing forward. I'll never forget a March 2010 news story in the U.S. military publication, Stars and Stripes, where a 10-year-old boy at Vilseck Elementary in Germany was quoted as saying that my PACE adventures "inspired me to have a goal and take it. It gave me the inspiration to run and do my best." I think that 10-year-old boy summed up the purpose of P.A.C.E. very well. It has always been about inspiration, goal setting, and doing your best.

What is the future of P.A.C.E.? Time will tell.

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

Running Is Not My Job!

Even though it has been 10 years since I ran solo across America, and 5 years since my last "adventure run" (across the Mojave Desert), I still occasionally receive messages from people wanting advice for long-distance running endeavors they're planning. Some are under the false impression that I'm a "professional runner" and have corporate sponsors to be able to do the various solo runs across states and countries that I've done. That is 100% incorrect!

Yes, I am "Founder" and "President" of The P.A.C.E. Fitness Foundation, Inc. (a non-profit organization formed in 2009). However, I receive NO salary from that and do not have corporate sponsors. In fact, the foundation has been sitting dormant for about five years and has a bank account balance of approximately $10.

The truth is, most of the adventure runs I've done have cost me thousands of dollars of my own money, with the balance of expenses being offset by people who simply hand me $5 or $10 here and there -- usually when I'm running across a state or country. I have raised some money through school speaker fees that were paid directly to The P.A.C.E. Fitness Foundation and then used for adventure runs to promote youth health and fitness. However, I am not a "professional runner" and am not paid by any organization or corporation to run.

When I'm not running behind my support stroller over mountains, across deserts, and through towns and cities, I'm working full time in a law firm -- something I first began doing back in 1993 when I was only 28 years old. The areas of law that I currently focus on are securities fraud, construction liability and personal injury. Essentially, my professional experience includes analyzing the facts of a case and its legal implications; drafting discovery; performing fact/legal research; developing medical chronologies; interviewing witnesses; writing Memorandums of Law; preparing legal briefs; and much more.

I hold two Bachelor of Arts degrees from the University of Montana and prior to working for the firm I am currently with in Indiana, I worked for law firms in Alaska and Montana specializing in commercial litigation, environmental law, probate and estates, and personal injury. I've also worked for the U.S. Department of the Interior.

That's a side of my life that people don't see when they witness a guy running down the side of the road pushing 80-pounds of gear, food and water in the middle of nowhere. While on an adventure run I've actually had people yell at me "Get a job!" -- usually as they're driving by. If they only knew that I do indeed have a job and that I sacrifice personal time to do the adventures I do... all to try and encourage today's youth in goal setting and greater health/fitness.

I've been blessed to receive many accolades over the years, both in my professional life and my athletic life. I've also been a Torchbearer for the 2002 Olympic Games, received an award from the Mayo Clinic for my efforts in reducing childhood obesity in America, and was inducted as the first European PTA Youth Ambassador. However, what I am most proud of is being a father to four wonderful children (ages 16, 18, 21, 23). Parenthood is the ultimate 'adventure' and I've tried to be the best father I can be -- even when life's road became challenging with unexpected twists and turns. The satisfaction of running thousands of miles alone across America, Germany, Alaska, and the Mojave Desert doesn't come close to the satisfaction, joy and contentment that comes with being a Dad.

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

Paul J. Staso

_______________________________________

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