Turning 50 is one of those life-defining moments. Some hate it. Some embrace it. Others just run away.
And the latter is what criminal defense attorney Darren Kavinoky is doing. The host of Investigation Discovery’s “Deadly Sins” is running 2,451 miles from Los Angeles to New York City to bring awareness to wellness-related causes, he told CNN.
Starting on Thursday, Kavinoky and his training partner, Kyle Gaffney, will run anywhere from 40 to 50 miles a day — following a pattern of three days on, one day off over the next three months until they reach the steps of New York City Hall.
But, why 2,451 miles?
As the big 5-0 approached last year, wellness kiosk company higi approached Kavinoky with a proposition.
The company would brand him the “New Face of 50,” and he’d get to live out a childhood fantasy. All he’d have to do is run 2,451 miles.
“For me, this was a dream when I was an overweight 10-year-old kid in Richmond, Virginia,” Kavinoky said. “I was shuffling around my apartment complex daydreaming of running across the country and being sponsored by Nike. They’d just released their iconic waffle shoe, and now, 40 years later, it’s happening and Nike is indirectly sponsoring the run through Road Runner.”
Kavinoky hopes his run will inspire others to put down the doughnuts, put on a pair of athletic shoes and share their progress on Twitter at #whatsmywin.
Along the way, Kavinoky will meet with mayors, governors and other local leaders in different states. He’ll provide them with health statistics specific to their communities and help them devise a plan to get people moving and get healthy. During a stop in Dallas, Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith and Garth Brooks will join the health campaign, but not for the long run.
What will make the trek with him is his name and picture on the motor home that will tail him on the road.
“This is a big undertaking,” Kavinoky says. “I’ve always said, ‘You go through life as an example or a warning.'”
Kavinoky will use the short breaks for the long trek to film the sixth season of “Deadly Sins.”
The preparation
Kavinoky has been working out four times a day to prepare. He’s suffered shin splints and dealt with back issues. The course is sure to deal him more pain. Being away from family will be equally as challenging.
“The thing that’s weighed heaviest on my mind is leaving my wife and daughter,” Kavinoky says. “But kids pay more attention to what we do than what we say. I want to show my daughter that ordinary people are capable of doing truly extraordinary things.”
‘A win is a very personal thing’
Kavinoky understands that developing a healthy lifestyle is no easy feat — but it’s possible.
He evolved from a “chubby kid” to a young man who struggled with drugs and alcohol to committing to extreme workout regimens and triathlons.
“A win is a very personal thing,” Kavinoky explains. “For me, it may be running across America. For someone else, it may be walking down their driveway and back. It doesn’t matter. The idea isn’t that anyone needs to be better than someone else. It’s just being better today than they were yesterday.”