Ed Norton to Run NYC Marathon for Wildlife Conservation

Demis Maryannakis/Splash News Online

When nearly 40,000 people take to the streets of the Big Apple on November 1 for the annual New York City Marathon, there will be one familiar face in the crowd: that of Ed Norton. The actor is planning to pound the pavement — all 26.2 miles! — to raise funds for the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust, a Kenya-based organization. Joined by magician David Blaine, three Kenyan Maasai warriors and a team of 30, Norton hopes to raise awareness about the East African tribal land and its uses. "I've never run a marathon before," Norton said in a statement. "The difficulty of it is both intimidating and motivating, especially when it's for a cause like this."

Norton became involved with the Trust about eight years ago during his first visit to Kenya, where he met founder Luca Belpietro. "Their approach to conservation is a model for the kind of partnerships we need to forge if we're going to solve the puzzle of being human but living sustainably within our environment," Norton said. The Trust's initiative helps to protect the land itself, cultivating its uses for people and animals.

While it's home to the Maasai people, the section of Kenya Norton is working to protect also serves as residence to an array of wildlife, whose well-being is in danger due to overgrazing, diversion of water, land sales and poaching. With funds raised by the marathon, Norton hopes to help create conservancy zones for the lions, giraffes, zebras and other creatures who find sanctuary here. The Wilderness Conservation Trust also aims to protect access to springs and other water sources and help limit animal-human conflict.