Update: The New York City Marathon has been cancelled in the wake of Sandy. No word on whether Kokoska will carry out the other portion of his endeavour, which would find him living on the streets for two days, Nov. 2-4.

Forty eight hours on the street plus a 42-km race through the boroughs of New York City 鈥� for 91原创鈥檚 Kevin Kokoska, it adds up to both a journey of self discovery and a right of passage.

Kokoska, 25, who has titled his adventure 鈥淎lmost Home,鈥� is a D.W. Poppy graduate now living and working in Vancouver, who plans to spend 48 hours living on the streets, before running in the New York City Marathon on Sunday, Nov. 4.

After graduating with a psychology degree from Kwantlen Polytechnic University, he is now employed as youth worker in Covenant House鈥檚 Rights of Passage transitional living program, which helps street youths to rebuild their lives, by providing safe, affordable accommodation, ongoing support and life skills training for up to two years.

Kokoska isn鈥檛 sure how the program got its name, but it鈥檚 one of the questions he believes may be answered through the exercise.

鈥淚 hope after this to reconnect with that. This, for me, is a right of passage,鈥� he said over the phone from Vancouver.

Kokoska first visited New York鈥檚 Covenant House last summer during a side trip into the U.S. from Montreal.

As the first Covenant House, it has a certain aura about it, Kokoska said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 massive and it鈥檚 got all this history.鈥�

While he was there, the staff asked him to come back in November and run the NYC Marathon.

Kokoska, an endurance athlete, was intrigued, but wanted to find a way to make the exercise more meaningful, so he decided to spend two days before the race out on the streets of America鈥檚 largest city.

鈥淲e talked about doing it in Vancouver, but that would be too easy. I know the lay of the land and the resources that are available,鈥� he explained.

This situation is more authentic, Kokoska said, because young people often find themselves in a strange city without work or a place to live.

From the time he arrives at the NYC Covenant House in Manhattan at 6 a.m. on Nov. 2, he will be treated as though he is trying to get into the 300-bed shelter which is always full.

鈥淚鈥檒l be told by staff what youth in my place would be told. I鈥檒l go through the process to see what it鈥檚 like.鈥�

Once he is turned away with whatever limited items the shelter has available to give him, he will spend the next two days and nights wandering the streets of as many boroughs as he can, panhandling for change and attempting to ride transit without any money.

鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛 put in all this effort to sit in a Starbucks for 48 hours,鈥� he said.

It鈥檚 impossible to fully replicate the experience of being homeless, he acknowledged, because he knows that once the 48 hours are up he will have a place to stay and food to fill his stomach.

During the time he spends on the street, Kokoska is hopeful that he鈥檒l be able to find something relatively substantial to eat, though, because he still has to run a full marathon.

鈥淎fter 48 hours on the street I鈥檒l return to Covenant House. But instead of being offered a warm bed, I鈥檒l be offered a warm shuttle bus to the starting line,鈥� he said.

Kokoska鈥檚 efforts are meant to raise funds for Vancouver鈥檚 Covenant House and to give the youth worker a better sense of where his clients are coming from. But as he focused on that side of things, he failed to anticipate the impact his decision would have on his own friends and family.

鈥淥ne thing I didn鈥檛 foresee was the genuine concern for my safety. My mother is barely sleeping at night,鈥� he said.

鈥淭he point is, they worry because they care about me. It鈥檚 easy to forget about the nameless, faceless people.

鈥淚 like that I鈥檓 making people uncomfortable or nervous, because that鈥檚 happening thousands of times over every night.鈥�

To read more about Kokoska鈥檚 story and to support his fundraising efforts, go to facebook.com/AlmostHomeNY or to http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/almosthome/ing-nyc-marathon