So, I've looked a little into him.
He has a link to his GoFundMe from his Facebook account, and he discusses why the money has to go directly to him instead of the charities he sponsors. He says "I know that donating to such a cause is not for everyone. I know most people would prefer to donate to an established non profit and get a tax deduction."
He then goes on to say this:
"Why do we (I) need money?
The bottom line is that, in order to help people, it takes money. I'll put every dollar I can behind this, but we will need more than that. Starting an initiative of this size, even with the connections we have, is not cheap. We have costs such as the food we will be donating, equipment needed such as providing bicycles for children, and then the cost of the services provides, such as the nutrition coaching, fitness training, counseling, and other needs we meet. In time, many of these services and costs will be covered by partnering with sponsors, such as a food sponsor. However, in order to get to that point, we need to prove the concept first. We set $50k as the goal because that is what we budget that it will cost to help the first 12 families. That takes us through year one. At that point, we should have sponsors, partners, and grants to provide for ongoing funding, and have a proven concept that we can start in cities all over the country."
There are several news stories. Apparently the marathon-a-day described in the OP's link was done in a run across the USA, from LA to Daytona Beach (Dec. 10 - Mar 20).
One notable one (link below) has some interesting facts, such as him being 6'7". He also apparently has Tourette's and a hairline fracture in his right heel.
http://www.ajc.com/lifestyles/man-runs-100-marathons-100-days-for-charity/14DZf2GvRe6CMcVNtbCXTI/
