On May 17th, 23-year-old James Leitner began the first section of the 3,215-mile trek from Princeton, NJ to San Francisco, CA carrying 90 pounds of water. Through this tremendous test of strength and endurance, Leitner is hoping to raise awareness for the millions of women and children that have to walk several miles on a daily basis just to access clean water.
This is not Leitner’s first attempt at raising awareness to the issue of global water availability. In a report by WRN, Leitner prepped for his cross-country march, by completing 12 marathons in 12 months all while carrying 45 pounds (5 gallons) of water on his head.[1]
According to Leitner’s website, missioncleanwater.com, his motivation began while conducting research for an assignment in high school. Through this assignment, he discovered that 1 billion people worldwide do not have access to clean water for drinking, bathing, or cooking. At that moment, Leitner made a conscious decision to dedicate his life to make others aware of this astounding statistic and help foster change.
Leitner estimates that he will need to travel a minimum of 25 miles each day over a four-month period to complete his journey. His route will take him through 12 states, including cities such as Chicago, Denver, Des Mines, Buffalo, and Salt Lake City.
For more information and to follow his journey, visit missioncleanwater.com.
[1] WRNJ Radio. N.J. man walking across U.S. for clean water will pass through Hackettstown. WRNJ Radio, May 14, 2017. Web.
Picture Reference: Villie Koivisto Flickr