TUCSON, Ariz — Dan Heston has been running long distances for as a long as he can remember.
"It's something I've done since I was a little kid," Heston said.
While running a 26.2 mile marathon would be a pretty big challenge for most people, Heston was looking for more.
"Why run a marathon if there's not something else to be gained from it other than personal achievement."
And so seven years ago, Heston ran for a cause, the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona. And, he asked people to donate to it.
"When you do it once, and you realize that you've succeeded in helping a group of people that are hungry, why not do it over and over again."
So, Dan Heston keeps running. He's completed several ultra marathons, including what's normally a bicycle run, the 106 mile El Tour de Tucson. Along the way, he noticed something.
"The giving keeps coming in."
Heston has raised more than $60,000 for the Food Bank, and he's now set to run his Dan's Hunger 100k Ultra Marathon on February 1st at Tucson High School. His training consists of running four times a week, anywhere between eight to twenty miles at a time. What works for Dan is to run when he's already tired.
"If you can train tired, then you know what your body will feel like. If you don't feel like going running, that's how you train for an ultra marathon."
So Heston continues to run at Tiffany Loop in Marana, helping to fight hunger one step at a time.
"We can make a difference if we keep up the good work."
To donate: https://donate.communityfoodbank.org/event/dans-hunger-100-run-2020/e263786
