Sean Harrington

  • Birthplace: Calgary, Alberta, Canada
  • Currently Resides: Menlo Park, California, United States
  • Language(s): English, French, Spanish (basic)
  • Family:
  • Statement: "Even though the clean water problem might not affect everyone now, there is no question that it will, in the not-so-distant future, unless we make it a priority.” – Sean Harrington, 2007

Sean Harrington is originally from Calgary, Alberta, Canada, and now resides with his wife, Brynn, also a Blue Planet Runner, in Menlo Park, California, where he works at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. He learned of the Run from Simon Isaacs, a fellow BPR runner, and spent the next several months looking for ways to get involved while reorganizing his life to make room for the big commitment.

Sean has been running since age eight, when he undertook his first 3K Run and kicked off a lifelong love of running for fitness, including stints of cross-country and track-and-field training. Running has remained a consistent part of his life and, combined with biking and playing squash, is still his primary means of exercise and stress relief.

One-half of the only husband-wife team to take part in the inaugural Blue Planet Run, Sean cites his wife, Brynn, as a major source of inspiration in all that he does. Through his extensive travels to more than 27 countries, including Morocco, Mexico, China and much of South America, Sean has witnessed first-hand the devastating effects of clean-water shortages and remains passionate about doing whatever he can to ignite positive change.

Sean completed his MBA at Stanford just days before the start of the 2007 run and also holds a BS in geomatics engineering from the University of Calgary. He is currently working as a case writer while he investigates entrepreneurial opportunities in cleantech and renewable energy.

Sean completed the Marathon des Sables in Morocco in 2005 as a fundraiser for the Lance Armstrong Foundation. When he’s not working or running, he enjoys playing board games with friends, playing Scrabble with his wife at a local coffee shop, reading and watching the Daily Show with John Stewart.

August 16, 2007 - Pace Runners and Pizza

The past two nights we’ve been treated with Pace Runners here in Colorado. It is amazing how energizing it is to have new and enthusiastic faces milling about in running gear at exchange points.

August 11, 2007 - How beautiful it is

The past ten days of running back in the US has reminded me how spectacularly beautiful this country is that we live in.

August 7, 2007 - Lake Mead

Today, as our team ran through the Mojave Desert and past Lake Mead, we were all reminded that access to safe drinking water is not just an issue affecting the developing world.

August 5, 2007 - Homemade cookies

It doesn’t take much to boost morale. A dozen home-baked cookies will do the trick.

August 3, 2007 - Two fond memories

Today’s route brought us past two locales very important to me: the town of Carmel, where I proposed to Brynn, and Big Sur, where I ran one of my favorite marathons only weeks before the start of BP

August 2, 2007 - Fox News and school kids

Today was another stellar day in the bay area, packed with all the most important elements of the Blue Planet Run.

August 1, 2007 - Home Sweet Home!

Today was a glorious day as the Blue Planet Run made its return to the US with a beautiful clear day in the San Francisco bay area.

July 31, 2007 - Heading Home

In a few hours I will be boarding a United flight from Nagoya to San Francisco with the rest of Team Orange.

July 30, 2007 - Japan

What a wonderful relief to be out of Beijing and into the peaceful calm of the Japanese countryside.

July 28, 2007

This is going to be a very short blog.

Today we ran in Beijing.

It was hot.

It was humid.

It was extremely polluted.

There was relentless traffic.