Edward Norton to run NY marathon with Maasai warriors

Edward Norton has tackled a range of roles with aplomb, but this fall he'll get a run for his money, literally.

The Oscar-nominated actor will leg it in the annual New York City marathon on Nov. 1, along with three Maasai warriors, leading a team of 30 to raise money and awareness for the Kenya-based Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust.

Norton is the President of the Board of the U.S. non-profit partner of the Kenyan organization he helped create. Two major corporations, architecture and design firm RMJM and global provider of professional technical and management support services AECOM, have pledge dsubstantial funds and services critical to the organization.

"I got involved with the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust about 8 years ago and I really believe in the work they do," says Norton. "Their approach to conservation is a model for the kind of partnerships we need to forge if we're going to solve the puzzle of being human but living sustainably within our environment.  

"We came up with the idea of raising funds by fielding a team of runners because the Maasai are born runners, runners as a matter of culture and heritage," he explains. "I've never run a marathon before and the difficulty of it is both intimidating and motivating, especially when it's for a cause like this, and having RMJM and AECOM on board on this initiative is incredibly exciting -- like a turbo-booster on our efforts."

For more information, check out Maasaimarathon.com.

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