Seth Gaffney, a New York City marathoner and Clay Jones, a Chicago marathoner have teamed up to create the “Obama Baton“.
The “Obama Baton” is a simple blue baton that will be passed from runner to runner during the Chicago marathon on October 12th and the New York City marathon on November 2nd.
The baton represents their support for Barack Obama and is a symbol of his ability to inspire people into action.
Their FaceBook Group for NYC has the statement below written by Gaffney:
Barack Obama is on the last leg of his marathon, the Presidential race. The campaign he continues to run has relied on hope rather than fear to inspire the American people to come together to bring about change.
I, for one, have been so inspired.
So as I train for the New York City marathon, which takes place merely 2 days before the 2008 Presidential election, I am compelled to take some type of action.
Rather than make an individual statement of my support (like wearing a witty, politically charged t-shirt on race day), I wanted to create an experience for Barack supporters to share.
The idea is quite literally, and simply, a blue baton. On November 2nd, I will bring it to the starting line and pass it on to a fellow runner. He or she will pass it on to another. And so on for 26.2 miles. Until, the final person carries (or people carry) Obama Baton across the finish line as a symbol of how one man has inspired individuals to take collective action.
Whether you’re a runner or just want to show your support visit their website by clicking here.
If you’re in Harlem, you can catch the marathon as the runners come over the 135th Street Bridge and run down Fifth Avenue into Central Park. To find out more about the NYC Marathon, click here.
