We are so pleased to have another oil painting donated for the 4th Annual GlobalRun4Water again this year!  Many thanks to George Lewis (AKA The WaterMan) for his generous donation.   George is a celebrated artist and donates his beautiful oil paintings for events that raise funds for global water projects.  Last year he donated a beautiful fall tree oil painting and we sold 100 tickets!  This year we have another gorgeous print called Wild Flowers.   We will again sell 100 tickets at $20 each.  Get yours today as they will sell-out!   Thank you Waterman!!!!!

The 4th Annual GlobalRun4Water is now 14 weeks away!  Please save the DATE for Sunday, September 27th at 4:00PM at the WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary.   We are PROUD to announce that we will be working with Fit & Able Productions as our Race Management team this year!  Stay tuned for MORE details! 

Here are some ideas for planning on incorporating the Global Run for Water 5K into a Fall ½  Marathon Training.

I am planning on running a half marathon at the end of October. I know lots of local runners are planning on running the City of Oaks on 11/2 so I thought I would share how I am planning on using the Global Run for Water 5k as part of my training.

 First, the course is a cross country course ( lots of shade on trail) located at Wake Med soccer park. Running on this course will help me strengthen different muscles versus when I just run on the sidewalks or streets. http://www.active.com/running/articles/5-reasons-to-try-trail-running.

Second, I know for me I start needing some inspiration as my training ramps up. Participating in a local race that has a positive global impact with people cheering for me will definitely help me be inspired. I participated in this race in 2013 while training for the Outer Banks Marathon (Nov 2013) so I remember how that helped me.

Third, I have been a, “runner” since 2009. I have looked over lots of training plans over the last 5 years and like the idea of incorportating hills and speed work to help me become a stronger and faster runner. http://www.runnersworld.com/race-training/hit-the-hills?page=single There is a great training hill (with cheering spectators)  on part of this course. J

Fourth, depending on when I can schedule in my, “long run” I know I can always run this course more than once (knowing there is water and snacks near finish) if I need to schedule a longer run that day.

http://www.rotarydistrict7710rotaryglobalrun4water.com/

-Article written by Jenn Smith, an avid Cary, NC runner!

From the EARTH POLICY INSTITUTE

Water Resources Fact Sheet
Earth Policy Release
July 30, 2014

Water scarcity may be the most underrated resource issue the world is facing today.

Seventy percent of world water use is for irrigation.

Each day we drink nearly 4 liters of water, but it takes some 2,000 liters of water—500 times as much—to produce the food we consume.

1,000 tons of water is used to produce 1 ton of grain.

Between 1950 and 2000, the world’s irrigated area tripled to roughly 700 million acres. After several decades of rapid increase, however, the growth has slowed dramatically, expanding only 9 percent from 2000 to 2009. Given that governments are much more likely to report increases than decreases, the recent net growth may be even smaller.

The dramatic loss of momentum in irrigation expansion coupled with the depletion of underground water resources suggests that peak water may now be on our doorstep.

Today some 18 countries, containing half the world’s people, are overpumping their aquifers. Among these are the big three grain producers—China, India, and the United States.

Saudi Arabia is the first country to publicly predict how aquifer depletion will reduce its grain harvest. It will soon be totally dependent on imports from the world market or overseas farming projects for its grain.

While falling water tables are largely hidden, rivers that run dry or are reduced to a trickle before reaching the sea are highly visible. Among this group that has limited outflow during at least part of the year are the Colorado, the major river in the southwestern United States; the Yellow, the largest river in northern China; the Nile, the lifeline of Egypt; the Indus, which supplies most of Pakistan’s irrigation water; and the Ganges in India’s densely populated Gangetic basin.

Many smaller rivers and lakes have disappeared entirely as water demands have increased.

Overseas “land grabs” for farming are also water grabs. Among the prime targets for overseas land acquisitions are Ethiopia and the Sudans, which together occupy three-fourths of the Nile River Basin, adding to the competition with Egypt for the river’s water.

It is often said that future wars will more likely be fought over water than oil, but in reality the competition for water is taking place in world grain markets. The countries that are financially the strongest, not necessarily those that are militarily the strongest, will fare best in this competition.

Climate change is hydrological change. Higher global average temperatures will mean more droughts in some areas, more flooding in others, and less predictability overall.