It’s been a great ten days with Steve Shriver and we Nomadik Fanatiks have enjoyed being armchair cheerleaders to his Organic Endurathon. We’ve watched him stick his aching foot in a snow bank, balance Mother Earth with 300 kids and roast supper over an open fire. It’s been great ride, and Steve did more than his fair share to broadcast his message about organics.

If you missed any of the story, you can read it all right now: Earth Day with Steve Shriver. And if you missed seeing him run the last leg of this amazing journey, have a look at these great shots from the finish line...

Julia Rosien,
Nomadik Editor

Steve Shriver's positive energy about his Organic Endurathon is catching. In an email he sent late last night, he wrote, ‘Today was the BEST day.'

The team gave a presentation to 300 kids at Norway Public School and had them chanting, "Don't panic, we're organic." To drive home the message of personal and collective responsibility, all the kids gathered in a massive circle and held up the 7ft earth ball. Steve said things like, ‘don't drop the ball on mother earth' and ‘the world is in your hands.' The kids finished off the fun with snacks of organic milk and cheese. "They loved it, and so did we," Steve said.

At Frontier, they presented their message to waiting crowd, along with Ken Roseboro, author of The Organic Food Handbook and Kathleen Delate from ISU.

We already love Frontier for their sustainable mission statement and support of programs like Fair Trade, but yesterday the launched their Well Earth Program. From their website: "Well Earth promotes the sustainable production of natural and organic products and creates partnerships built upon a mutual respect for quality botanicals and sound social and environmental principles. It is part of a many faceted program to provide our customers with high quality, socially responsible products that includes commitments to product quality, Fair Trade, organics, integrity, social responsibility and sustainable operations."

Today, The Organic Endurathon Team will be at the RJ Center in Cedar Rapids doing a live organic cooking show at 11:00 am. They'll be handing out samples and info starting at 10:00 am. Mark Patterson is running the full 26.2 miles which will be his first marathon distance. Good luck Mark!

Want the rest of the story? Click here and get informed.

Julia Rosien,
Nomadik Editor

The second weekend of the endurathon is fast approaching, and Steve Shriver's team is ramping up their efforts to greet Earth Day with a bang. And since he's no longer running, Steve is pouring his heart and soul into making his point - a sustainable, organic lifestyle is necessary if we're going to combat global warming.

Today on the run, Kimberly Dickey ran 8 miles, while Dennis Henderson ran 18 miles. They planned to stop tonight around the Amana Colonies and enjoy a quiet evening at the campsite. Tomorrow, they're off bright and early to Norway Elementary School to talk to 300 kids about organics. I'm pretty sure they'll find a few little green gorillas ready to take on the cause.

They're also planning on a huge gathering at Frontier Natural Products Co-op  where they'll lunch with employees, talk to customers and meet Ken Roseboro, author of  The Organic Food Handbook

Tony Bedard and his wife Marsha, owners of Frontier Natural Products will be splitting the endurathon between them tomorrow while Steve continues in the support vehicle.

Remember to flag them down if you see them on the road. I hear Steve has plenty of lip balm left to give out.

Missed the first part of the story? Click here to get up to speed.

Julia Rosien,
Nomadik Editor

The endurathon started as a one-man marathon, but Steve's injury forced a gear shift. Earlier this week Steve's doctor warned him to slow down or deal with a ruptured Achilles tendon, surgery and up to a year off his foot. So what began as a spectacular act of strength to gain publicity for organics, turned into a community of supporters committed to getting the message out.

"Deciding to stop running forced me to realize that this is not all about me or about the run, but it's about sustainable living and organic products," Steve says. "Now, I can focus on giving interviews and talking to people along the way instead of being totally focused on the running."

Yesterday, Mark Patterson ran 19 miles and Rob Shriver ran the last 7 miles while Steve followed in the support vehicle. They stopped at an organic dairy farm in Amish country and sampled real milk. "This is what milk tasted like a hundred years ago, what it's supposed to taste like."

Today Steve and his team are continuing along rural Ohio around Iowa City. Cell service is sporadic, but we'll post updates and pictures as soon as Steve checks in.

Missed the first part of the story? Click here for the whole thing.

Julia Rosien,
Nomadik Editor

On the advice of his doctor, Steve's decided to spend the day resting his Achilles tendon.

"I don't want to give up yet, but I'm considering some alternative plans if I can't run again tomorrow," said Steve. "My team is still moving forward today on their cycles, and there is a chance I can finish this out on a bike as well. I also know a few marathon runners who could each pick day to run. But I'm trying to focus my energy on running tomorrow rather than what will happen if I don't."

Regardless of whether he runs, rides or drives, Steve will continue along his planned route leading up to Earth Day. "The run was to bring attention to organics, and I'm committed to that mission. The run doesn't really matter as much as meeting people and getting the message out there."

We couldn't agree more, Steve. One of Steve's supporters and chef on the trip is Derek Roler of Iowa City - pictured here with his organic bok choy.

Since Steve's mission is about spreading the organic message, here are a few statistics to chew on during lunch:

~ The term organic can only be applied to products grown and/or produced without chemicals and pesticides. The USDA Organic Seal is your assurance they've passed the U.S. Department of Agriculture's rigorous testing. No similar definition exists for the term natural and can in fact mean just about anything. As Steve says, natural can include organic, but not all natural products are organic.

~ In Iowa where Steve's running, only 100,000 acres of farmland are certified organic - 1% of the available farmland.

~ Iowa ranks number 4 in the U.S. for organic farmers.

Steve has a massage planned for later today, more ice for his heel and some yummy organic food from Derek to replenish his resources. If you want to show Steve you're behind him and his mission, leave a comment or email me (editor@nomadik.com) I'll post your letters here to let Steve know that not only is failure not an option, it's not even possible.

Julia Rosien,
Nomadik Editor

Steve's just ran 4 marathons in 4 days and the pictures he's sending from Iowa rock. Cold weather, missing camera and sore feet be damned! Steve's Organic Endurathon Team is where it's at.

Check in later today for updates on how Steve fared through Day 5. My knees get sore just thinking about it!

Julia Rosien,
Nomadik Editor

I spoke with Steve late last night, and while he sounded energetic, he admitted Day 3 was rough. He started off feeling low on energy and said he had to push himself through every mile. The last six miles were his lowest yet.

    Julia: What made today worse than the past two?

    Steve: I felt like I didn't have enough juice, and there are a lot more hills in Iowa than I knew! We also lost our camera today, and spent an hour running around Des Moines trying to find it. That was      discouraging.

    Julia: How did you lose your camera?

    Steve: Well, someone left it on the roof of the car and drove off. Not a great moment and it really cut into our momentum. We had taken out one tape though, so at least all the pictures weren't lost.

    Julia: How is your team doing?

    Steve: Well that's the good news. My wife ran all day with me yesterday and finished her first marathon. She's run 16 miles before but never the full 26, so that was really neat to share that with her. In all honesty, she kept me running through those tough miles today.

    Julia: Steve, I know you've trained for this, but have you ever ran 26 miles day after day after day?

    Steve: Well, that's the thing. I've never run like this consecutively before. I've done 20-22 miles a couple days in a row, but never like this.

    Julia: What's the reception been like?

    Steve: We stopped at Campbell's Nutrition and there were folks everywhere. Sometimes it was preaching to the choir, but there were a lot of curious people who just wanted to know what all the excitement was about. That really filled me with a renewed sense of energy.

    Julia: Steve, what do you say to people who think the problem is just so overwhelming and they don't know where to start?

    Steve: Well, not everyone can afford an electric car, but they can buy something organic. Buying organic products is a great first step, and it really is about taking baby steps - keep it simple so you don't scare people away.

Steve is hoping for a laidback pace today and plans to spend the night in Lake Red Rock. He has nothing planned, other than the marathon, so hopefully he'll be able to recharge his batteries and enjoy some of the lovely weather in Iowa right now.

If you want to catch up with him tomorrow, he'll be stopping at Gene Moore's Organic Farm near Keomah Village and spending the night at Lake Keomah.

The Lazy Environmentalist shouted out to Steve on Friday, and we agree - Steve Shriver ‘IS' the real deal.

Check back later for more updates.

Julia Rosien,
Nomadik Editor

Day One was a banner day for Steve and his team of dedicated planet pals. And he’s gathering momentum on his run in more ways than one. The Des Moines Register published an article, Entrepreneur Runs Mega-Marathon Mission today. And yesterday The Lazy Environmentalist featured him on his radio show.

You go Steve!

Steve ran through rural areas yesterday, but he says today should be a little more exciting in the capital of Iowa. If you weren’t able to see him on the road, Nomadik has you covered. Have a look at these great shots, and don’t forget to check back later this afternoon for updates.

Julia Rosien,
Nomadik Editor