The Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon on Sunday October 14th was Daniel’s 9th half marathon, coming in at 1:48.  He has also run five full marathons. Aside from his fantastic time, Daniel was Daily Bread’s top fundraiser, raising over $4,500 to fight hunger in Toronto’s neighbourhoods.

Here’s what Daniel has to say about why he ran…

I was motivated to run for Daily Bread for two reasons. First,  My wife and I have three young children (who are all adorable and very much adored, so says their biased father).  One of the things about being a dad to three wonderful and healthy children is that I am reminded everyday just how fortunate I am.  I know that there are many young families out there that not as fortunate, and who are struggling to make ends meet and provide food for their kids, something that too many of us, including me, take for granted all too often.  In some very small way, I wanted to try doing something about that.

Secondly,  I am a huge Bruce Springsteen fan.  For many years, Springsteen, at live shows (and I have seen 10, with number 11 coming up on Sunday in Hamilton) has encouraged people on the way out of shows to make a donation to representatives from local food banks who were there and accepting donations.  So, supporting food banks, even if just in small amounts at the end of various Springsteen shows, has always been something I have tried to do and wanted to do more of.

For my fundraising efforts, I asked widely.  People – family, friends, colleagues – were incredibly generous in what they gave.  I think this particular cause, i.e. addressing hunger, and the work that the Daily Bread does to combat that, spoke to a lot of people who supported me.

My top training tip is that consistency is important, but listen to your body at the same time.  The training, and not just the race itself, should be fun.  I always try to avoid running the same route 2 days in a row. It keeps things interesting.

It was truly a pleasure to run in support of an organization that is in the trenches and doing such important work.

 Are you inspired by Daniel’s great story? Click here to donate to his personal fundraising page.  Or commit to running for Daily Bread next year in the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon. We’ll be lacing up against hunger on Sunday, October 20th, 2013!