My name is Francis Walsh.
I started running two years ago as a way to push my limits and break through mental and physical barriers.
This year I completed my first 100-mile ultramarathon. On my second attempt at that distance, I DNF'd (did not finish) at mile 75. That race taught me as much as the one I finished: how far I can go, and what it takes to keep moving when everything tells you to stop.
On November 1, I'll run the New York City Marathon. Two weeks later, the real test begins.
From November 15 to 21, I'll be one of about 60 runners taking on the Great World Race: seven full marathons on seven continents in seven days.
My goal is simple: to raise as much as I possibly can for The Center for Discovery.
183 Miles in 168 Hours
Temperatures will swing from well below freezing on the Antarctic ice to the tropical heat of Cartagena. Most of the "recovery" happens on a plane between finish lines.
- UpcomingNov 1501
Antarctica
Wolf's Fang
- UpcomingNov 1602
Cape Town
South Africa
- UpcomingNov 1703
Perth
Australia
- UpcomingNov 1804
Singapore
Singapore
- UpcomingNov 1905
Algarve
Portugal
- UpcomingNov 2006
Cartagena
Colombia
- UpcomingNov 2107
Miami
USA
- The finish line183
Miles for TCFD
Follow along from Antarctica to Miami.
They are why I'll keep going.
People with complex disabilities have always held a special place in my heart, including people with autism, and especially those with profound autism and the medical conditions that so often come with it.
So much of the world isn't built for them: the noise, the pace, the expectations that don't fit how they feel and experience things. It can be hard to be understood. Still, they keep showing up. They find their own ways to connect, to learn, and to grow. Their courage moves me more than I can put into words.
I think about their families too. The parents who never stop advocating. The love that carries them through long days and harder nights. Behind every person The Center serves is a family hoping their loved one will be seen, supported, and given every chance to thrive, as a child and for the rest of their life.
The Center for Discovery is that hope made real. It sees each person for who they are and what they can do, not what they can't. It gives them care, education, a home, and a community where they belong. I believe in that mission with my whole heart.
So I'm running seven marathons on seven continents in seven days. There will be moments in Antarctica, on the other side of the world, and deep into day five, when my legs are gone and every part of me wants to stop. In those moments I'll think of the children and adults who face hard things every day with no finish line in sight. They are why I'll keep going.
Every step of this journey is for them.
Support Francis's Run
Every dollar goes to The Center for Discovery, and every gift, big or small, makes a difference.
About The Center for Discovery
About 90 miles northwest of New York City, The Center for Discovery provides healthcare, education, and residential care to more than 1,700 children and adults with autism, complex developmental disabilities, medical frailty, and the comorbidities that often come with them.
Learn More About TCFDRun It With Him
If you can't give, please share this page, and follow along November 15–21 as Francis races from Antarctica to Miami.
"I hope you'll run it with me."
