Every once in a while I scour the news for running stories that might inspire me. Because, let’s face it, inspiration is sometimes hard to come by. Much to my disgust, however, I found this particular story.

So the 2010 Fubon Taipei Marathon was yesterday in Taiwan (N.B., Taiwan is not China! I made that mistake once in front of a Taiwanese colleague of mine and felt horrible).

Anyway, although there were elite runners who ran it and records almost broken, the biggest story from the race was six-year-old Wu Chun-hao who completed all 26.2 miles on his own. Six! According to this China Post article, he was crying by the halfway point but kept going.

My first thought was similar to my reaction when I heard about that toddler beauty pageant show on the Soup. There’s just something wrong with putting children in situations that are meant for adults. Especially, I’d argue, when the physical requirements are very adult-specific. There are runners who’d argue this next point, but running a marathon takes a serious toll on your heart, not to mention your muscles. That’s not to say adults can’t handle it. But a six-year-old? That’s just cruel.

At least the reporter assigned to this story from Focus Taiwan included quotes from other dissidents who doubt this kid’s parents’ sanity. I just hope the little bugger’s alright.

I really want to volunteer for a charity of some kind, so I’ve been carefully looking at a few in the area. I’ve also been thinking hard about what really calls to me. There are so many great charities out there, and I don’t think I’d say any of them are less worthy than the next one.

However, I think I found the perfect one for me. It’s called Girls on the Run. It’s an international organization that uses running to promote self-esteem and self-respect among young girls. There is a local chapter here in Howard County, Maryland. They meet twice a week for training, and follow a curriculum that focuses on healthy living, community involvement, life skills, and of course physical fitness.

I love this idea because, as a grown woman who feels all too often like she’s still a little girl, I know how important it is to build self-esteem. I can feel knocked down so easily. And running helps me rebuild. Girls on the Run isn’t about competition, although there is a 5K at the end of every training year. It’s simply about teaching young girls that they too can build or rebuild that ever-critical – yet often so elusive – self-esteem.

Since most of the volunteers are needed after school, I have to figure out how I can participate while also having a 9-5 job. Check them out. They have chapters all over. For more information, here’s an article from the Elkridge Patch about their 5K over the weekend. Here’s hoping I can be there next year!