Extreme Walk 4 Diabetes
Donation protected
Imagine walking 521 miles, engulfed by extreme weather, the sun beating down on you with no mercy. With every step your feet throb like a heartbeat, you are completely vulnerable to the elements that surround you. For the first time you are completely in tune with your basic instincts of survival. Food, water, safety, shelter is a constant worry. I am Yolanda Holder 2x Guinness World Record Holder for most marathons run in a year, author, trainer, and motivational speaker, and for 16 days this was my reality.
Being one of three women who have earned my Guinness title and the only African American, I have experienced many hardships. For years competitive marathoning has been classified as a runner’s sport. I earned my respect in the Marathon world by uniquely crushing stats with my signature power walk. Since the moment I hit the scene, I’ve demanded that the road be shared and I fittingly earned the name “Walking Diva”.
Despite losing my father to diabetes years ago, it was losing my mother in 2012 to the same illness that anchored the unstoppable “Walking Diva”. I was plagued with the realization that diabetes was hereditary for my family. My mind was crowded with questions of purpose. How are my current actions and accolades helping the community and making a difference in people’s lives? When I die what will they say about me? In that moment Extreme Walk 4 Diabetes was born.
In honor of my parents I embarked on an amazing journey across California, starting in Corona and finishing at the American Diabetes Association Oakland office in August, 2013. The following year I raised the bar and traveled through the lowest, hottest and driest area in North America, Death Valley, during my 2014 Death Challenge in which I walked from Corona, CA to Las Vegas, NV. This year I will be walking 550 miles/ 15 days starting inLaguna Beach CA, and ending at the iconic Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, CA.
The 2015 Extreme Walk 4 Diabetes “Gold Coast” Challenges mission is to raise money for diabetes research and to provide support to our community by fostering education, self-reliance, confidence, and an active lifestyle in the successful management and prevention of diabetes.
Please donate to EW4D, any amount is greatly appreciated!
Thank you,
Yolanda “Walking Diva” Holder
Being one of three women who have earned my Guinness title and the only African American, I have experienced many hardships. For years competitive marathoning has been classified as a runner’s sport. I earned my respect in the Marathon world by uniquely crushing stats with my signature power walk. Since the moment I hit the scene, I’ve demanded that the road be shared and I fittingly earned the name “Walking Diva”.
Despite losing my father to diabetes years ago, it was losing my mother in 2012 to the same illness that anchored the unstoppable “Walking Diva”. I was plagued with the realization that diabetes was hereditary for my family. My mind was crowded with questions of purpose. How are my current actions and accolades helping the community and making a difference in people’s lives? When I die what will they say about me? In that moment Extreme Walk 4 Diabetes was born.
In honor of my parents I embarked on an amazing journey across California, starting in Corona and finishing at the American Diabetes Association Oakland office in August, 2013. The following year I raised the bar and traveled through the lowest, hottest and driest area in North America, Death Valley, during my 2014 Death Challenge in which I walked from Corona, CA to Las Vegas, NV. This year I will be walking 550 miles/ 15 days starting inLaguna Beach CA, and ending at the iconic Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, CA.
The 2015 Extreme Walk 4 Diabetes “Gold Coast” Challenges mission is to raise money for diabetes research and to provide support to our community by fostering education, self-reliance, confidence, and an active lifestyle in the successful management and prevention of diabetes.
Please donate to EW4D, any amount is greatly appreciated!
Thank you,
Yolanda “Walking Diva” Holder
Organizer
Yolanda Holder
Organizer
Corona, CA
