Marlins President DAVID SAMSON this winter will lead a team of club employees, friends and business colleagues in the ’18 World Marathon Challenge, an event organized by Global Running Adventures in which participants run seven marathons in seven days on seven different continents. Formed in ’15, the World Marathon Challenge has been completed by just 56 people, and requires a $40,000 entry fee in addition to the extreme running conditions. Samson, who already has completed an Ironman triathlon and a double marathon to raise funds for charity, said the event represented the next major fitness challenge for him. “I was looking for the next big thing, something even crazier,” Samson said. “But we’ve got a really eclectic group, and I think we can do a lot of good from this.” Samson’s team, named “Hold The Plane,” also includes Marlins Special Assistant JEFF CONINE, President of Baseball Operations MICHAEL HILL and Senior VP/Communications & Broadcasting P.J. LOYELLO, Boston Marathon race director DAVE MCGILLIVRAY and competitors from Samson’s ’14 stint on CBS’ “Survivor,” among others. The Samson-led effort is aiming to raise $2M for a variety of charities, including the Marlins Foundation, Boys & Girls Club of America, and ALS Association. The race route will start Jan. 30 in Antarctica, move to South Africa, Australia, the United Arab Emirates, Spain, Colombia and Miami, which Samson was able to arrange to the race's conclusion on Feb. 5. Samson, who on Thursday was named to the new MLB Competition Committee, said the team will continue in the race regardless of what happens this year with the pending Marlins sale or his own job status. “It’s not about my title or anything like that,” Samson said. “I can’t hit a big league fastball and I’m never going to dunk a basketball. But this is something I can do, and really, anybody can do.”
