The United Nations estimates that more than 120 million people are currently displaced by disaster, conflict, or persecution. Jane Lanford, a lifelong runner and passionate humanitarian, plans to help as many of them as she can by running 70 miles in three days.

Kicking off on June 7,  Jane’s epic run along Alaska’s remote Denali Highway is both a milestone birthday celebration and a fundraiser for ShelterBox USA, a disaster relief organization that provides emergency shelter and essential supplies to families who’ve lost everything.

Lanford, who turns 70 on May 28, will begin her run at mile 70 of the mostly gravel Denali Highway and continue to Paxson. She’s dedicating each mile to a year of life and to the people around the world forced from their homes. ShelterBox aid includes sturdy tents, solar lights that can charge phones, water filters, blankets, and tools—items that restore privacy, dignity, and hope.

“You can’t help the whole world,” Jane says. “But you can mean the whole world to somebody.”

The route she’s chosen is classic Alaska—glaciated long ago, dotted with pothole lakes and eskers, flanked by distant mountains. She expects to be joined by local wildlife: “I might see moose,” Jane laughs. “Porcupines, grouse, ptarmigans… maybe a fox or two.”

Despite her humor and positivity, Jane acknowledges that running has gotten harder. “I’ve got arthritis in a lot of places—both knees, shoulders, fingers, wrists. So I’ll be taking a lot of ibuprofen with me,” she says. “I don’t run as efficiently as I used to. This is hard on a 70-year-old body.”

A longtime Fairbanks resident and proud Alaskan, Jane has lived in the state with her husband Steve for 31 years. She’s been a member of the College Rotary Club of Fairbanks since 2003, serving as president twice. The Lanfords’ family cat is named Tazlina, after a tiny hamlet to the south.

Jane’s running journey began on the island of Saipan, where she met Steve, and has taken her across all 50 U.S. states and every Canadian province and territory. She’s run marathons in temperatures as low as -50°F. “I guess I’m a bit like Forrest Gump,” she jokes.

She credits much of her success to Steve, who serves as her one-man support crew. “I couldn’t do this without him,” Jane says. “He keeps me in sight, makes me lunch, hands me water—he takes care of everything.”

During the run, the couple will sleep in a small Rockwood Premier camper, which they tow behind Steve’s truck. The camper, Jane says, offers a sense of safety and privacy that reminds her why she supports ShelterBox.

“It’s great to know that I can help somebody else,” she reflects. “The little bit of comfort and security I feel in my trailer—it’s kind of the same when you give someone a tent. It’s their little piece of home.”

To support Jane’s journey and ShelterBox’s mission to provide life-saving shelter to families after disaster. Click here to donate and learn more.