It’s The Final Countdown!

Dressed in yellow from head to toe, Ian Chan, Program Administrator at School on Wheels, Inc. has a huge goal – to run 52 marathons in 2017 to raise awareness about homeless children in California.

Ian has run 51 marathons so far and will run his final marathon on Saturday, December 9. Ian will cross the finish line of his 52nd marathon at the School on Wheels, Inc. Skid Row Learning Center (600 East 7th Street, Suite 109, Los Angeles, CA 90021) between 12:30 and 1:00 PM on 12/9/2017.
A Facebook Live stream will be broadcast from 12:00 PM onward and will highlight Ian’s final 6.2 miles of Marathon 52.

This is what Ian had to say about his experience so far:

“Why am I running 52 marathons this year? Over 500,000 children experience homelessness in California each year; this campaign is about raising awareness and giving hope to a population all too forgotten and neglected. The hardest part about this campaign has been fitting all of the races into my busy year. I got married in June – with a wedding and honeymoon to plan, full-time work at School on Wheels, and general marathon training and recovery, it’s been tough. So far, I’ve been through 6 pairs of shoes and have run about 3000 miles so far this year! That’s 500 miles a pair… I’ve been pushing it with each pair of shoes! My legs are always tired, my feet always sore but my heart is full. I’m excited to be doing this for an important cause.”

In an interview with KTLA, during the Los Angeles Marathon back in March, Ian showed off his costume and talked about the 3,400+ homeless children School on Wheels, Inc. serves each year and the thousands of volunteers that help them get back on track with school and learning.

On November 4, Ian qualified for the 2019 Boston Marathon with a time of 2 hours, 57 minutes, 5 seconds (2:57:05), a pace of 6 minutes and 45 seconds per mile. Ian placed 18th out of 883 runners and placed 1st in his age division (25-29). This is his personal best race to date.

Catherine Meek, Executive Director of School on Wheels, Inc. said, “We are so proud of Ian and his amazing achievement of running a marathon every week. We hope the community will continue to support him in his goal of raising awareness about the staggering problem of homeless children in our communities.”

For more information about Ian and his marathon year, please visit: https://www.gofundme.com/52-marathons-for-homeless-children

Ian’s 52nd Marathon event: https://www.facebook.com/events/171399496930805

You can watch Ian’s interview with KTLA here: https://youtu.be/EI2t0kNWjFA

Ian’s Boston Qualifying (BQ) race can be seen here: https://www.runrevel.com/rcc/results?pk=1541494

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ABOUT SCHOOL ON WHEELS School on Wheels, Inc. is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) organization founded in 1993 by Agnes Stevens, a retired teacher. Today, hundreds of volunteers work one-on-one with children whose homelessness prevents them from receiving the academic stability and help they desperately need. The heart of the School on Wheels’ program is the volunteer tutors who come from all backgrounds and professions, with a shared goal – to reach out to a child, to teach, to mentor, and assist in his or her educational life. The mission of School on Wheels is to enhance educational opportunities for homeless children from kindergarten through twelfth grade. The goal is to shrink the gaps in their education and provide them with the highest level of education possible. Their program serves as a consistent support system to homeless students at a time of great stress and fear. School on Wheels brings the message to homeless students that they are cared about and important. They do this by offering:

One-on-one weekly tutoring with a volunteer / Backpacks, school supplies and school uniforms / Assistance in entering school / Help in locating lost records / Guidance for parents in educational matters for their children / Skid Row Learning Center / Tutoring in six counties in Southern California, including Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties.

CONTACT School on Wheels, Inc. Sinead Chilton 805.641.1678 schilton@schoolonwheels.orgTo learn more about School on Wheels, Inc., please visit: www.schoolonwheels.org