Ashton Kutcher to run NYC Marathon and raise funds for his NGO Thorn to fight child trafficking
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Actor Ashton Kutcher who is an active member of a society runs NGO, Thorn, and is all excited to run NYC Marathon to raise funds. His not-for-profit organization works in the direction of protecting children from sex trafficking and online child sexual abuse. "I genuinely enjoy running," Kutcher shared. "I don't enjoy running in pain," he adds after a strong finish to his long marathon training.
The ‘Jobs’ star had been facing some issues with his knees, but after checking with a doctor he’s sure no permanent damage is being done. "I'm trying to manage pain and hopefully be able to get to the starting line with as little pain as possible, so I can enjoy the run. Training's going good. I mean, I'm running the thing hell or high water," Kutcher told People.
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The 44-year-old actor will be running the New York City Marathon on Sunday, November 6, primarily to raise funds for his foundation, Thorn. The ‘Two and a Half Men’ actor said, "The idea that there are children, some of them are preverbal, that are being abused in this way right now today, probably closer to where you live than what you think, that's hard for people to wrap their head around."
He added, "There are three or four kids that in particular, cases that we're working on still and one of which we've been working on for two-and-a-half years, and still haven't found the kid. I know how to find a kid. It's just illegal to do the things that I would need to do in order to find the kid." Emotional about the suffering a child has to go through, Kutcher said, "I put that kid on the other side of the finish line. I know she's out there and I want her to know that somebody's coming for her."
Kutcher had the inspiration for the organisation 15 years ago after watching a Dateline segment about child sex trafficking and being shocked by what he saw. He shares why he chose to run a marathon for this cause, "Doing it in the context of the New York Marathon opens it up in a way that you go, 'Okay, well let's talk about the marathon first,' because people like talking about running a marathon."
Thorn claims that, "40% of minors have experienced cold solicitations for nudes online, including roughly one in four children ranging in ages 9-12. The report examined risky encounters in everyday digital socialization," reports People.
As part of his fundraising efforts for the big day, Kutcher has also teamed up with celebrities like Kim Kardashian and Kenny Chesney for the online training series Ashton Kutcher X Peloton, 'Our Future Selves' where they run alongside him while engaging in an informative chat.