Hilary Swank kicks off global race for clean water

UNITED NATIONS, June 2 (Reuters) Two-time Oscar winner Hilary Swank launched an around-the-world relay race to raise money and awareness for 1.1 billion people without safe drinking water.

Organized by the Blue Planet Run Foundation, some 20 runners will log 24,000 km over 95 days through 16 Northern Hemisphere countries and end back in New York on September 4.

''What if it were your job to carry in a rusty metal pail all the water you and your family would use for the day?'' Swank told the audience on the UN lawn of runners, schoolchildren and musicians.

''What if the water made you sick? What if you had no choice? ''I know I will never take a glass of water for granted again,'' said Swank yester, awarded best-actress Oscars for her roles in ''Boys Don't Cry'' and ''Million Dollar Baby.

Funded by Dow Chemical Co in cooperation with the United Nations and Blue Planet, the goal is to bring safe drinking water to 20 billion people by 2020.

The cost, said Blue Planet founder and Chairman Jin Zidell, was only 30 dollar per person for life.

The runners are to travel 24,460 km, with each running 1,200 km and keeping the pace for 24 hours, seven days a week.

From New York, the runners go to Boston, fly to Ireland, run across Britain, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, Poland, Belarus, Russia, Mongolia, China and take a plane to Japan and another one back to San Francisco for a final lap into Canada and 20 US states.

Andrew Liveris, chief executive of Dow Chemical, said, ''Talk even when lovely and flowery is ultimately just talk unless its purpose is to spur and foster thinking about real problems that our humanity faces on this fragile planet.'' Blue Planet has funded 135 projects in 13 countries, mainly in rural areas, and provided safe drinking water to 100,000 people. The run will take place every two years, alternating between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.

The runners come from the United States, Canada, the Czech Republic, Brazil, Indian, Kenya, Guatemala, Israel, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Japan and Germany.

Reuters SY GC0942