Chip Gaines finishes his first marathon — and naturally, he did it while wearing a tool belt
The "Fixer Upper" star raised $250,000 for charity in the process
The "Fixer Upper" star raised $250,000 for charity in the process
The "Fixer Upper" star raised $250,000 for charity in the process
- "Fixer Upper" star Chip Gaines hosted and completed the Silo District Marathon on Sunday
- The marathon raised $250,000 for the Brave Like Gabe Foundation, which raises money for rare cancer treatment
- Gaines worked his way up to 26.2 miles in a few short months, dropping a few pounds in the process
HGTV star Chip Gaines just completed his first marathon and raised a whole bunch of money for charity in the process.
The "Fixer Upper" star crossed the finish line of the Silo District Marathon in Waco, Texas, on Sunday. Not only did Gaines participate in the race, he actually hosted it — he and his wife, Joanna Gaines, decided to hold a race in their hometown in order to benefit the Brave Like Gabe Foundation, a charity that raises money for research and treatment of rare cancers.
True to form, "Mr. Demo Day" was wearing a tool belt the whole time.
Gaines was inspired to run and host a marathon after bumping into the person behind the Brave Like Gabe Foundation: professional runner Gabriele Grunewald, a United States 3,000 meters indoor champion.
Grunewald has spent the past nine years battling four bouts of cancer, all while continuing to train and race as a professional runner. The two ran into each other in Central Park last October, and Gaines left the encounter inspired in more ways than one.
In January, Gaines made two announcements: that he was going to run a marathon, and that he and his wife were going to be hosting the inaugural Silo District Marathon on May 6, with all profits going straight to Grunewald's foundation. The goal was to raise $50,000, but the marathon .
With Grunewald as his coach, Gaines went literally from zero to 26.2 miles in a few short months — to Runner's World that after his very first training run of 1.7 miles, he was completely wiped. While he didn't end up running the entire distance on race day, the fact that he crossed the finish line is still a commendable achievement.
and raised a lot of money for an incredible cause.