As the campaign to encourage more technology companies than ever before to front up for the 2013 Great Adventure Race to Cure Kids continues, Jen Rutherford explains how entering the race extends more than just our physical abilities.

I have talked previously about making the most of our lives, however long they are. And if we do happen to have a relatively long life then we surely want to extend our quality of life.

I acknowledge the Great Adventure Race’s race director, Alan Nelson, for the following thoughts, but I have experienced this and truly believe it to be true.

You see, extending yourself to a phsical challenge can slow the an aspect of the aging process.

What I mean by that is, as we get older, our world of experiences tends to diminish. Our circle of friends, our fitness and well-being, our health, our careers, our personal growth and relationships can diminish and become a tighter circle, drawing inwards, limiting all aspects of our lives.

The interesting thing is that if you push out one of these things in your life then the rest also follow, as if our connection to all these things retains as a circle and extending in one area extends everything.

So by pushing your physical self and extending yourself to greater challenges - and yes, I do mean by joining me in the 2013 Great Adventure Race to Cure Kids! - you will find the other items also extend out and you have more fun, you travel/experience other locations, you meet new friends, your personal growth also extends.