HONOLULU -- Sam Thompson is a running man on a mission.

He ran a marathon distance 26.2 miles through the streets of Honolulu on Wednesday. It was his 12th marathon in 12 days.

He had planned to do 50 marathons, one in each state in 50 days, but decided to add the District of Columbia, so it'll actually be 51 in a row.

He is drawing attention in an effort to raise awareness for the victims of Hurricane Katrina and the recovery efforts.

Thompson volunteered to help in the aftermath. He said the region still needs a lot of help. He points people to his Web site 50in50in50.com for groups to donate money to.

"Everything's not fixed. I don't care who you give to or how you help, but (I) just (wanted) to remind people there is still a great need," Thompson said.

He flew in from Arizona late Tuesday night and was on the roads of Honolulu at 6:30 a.m. He has to get to New Mexico by Thursday morning to start running.

"The general reaction has been that I'm crazy or have lost it," Thompson said.

As he finishes each 26.2-mile leg of his quest, he said he feels stronger. He hopes people will pay attention to the needs of the Gulf Coast and help out.