Run for Charity and Clarity

How is it that more people are finding the drive and the inter strength to overcome obstacles to finish a marathon?  May people would tell you that they are driven to the finish line by a sense of greater good.  The word Marathon and Charity now go hand and hand.  Runners are raising more money for charity then ever before. The numbers as reported in the July issue of Runners World Magazine are staggering at 1.65 billion dollars raised so far. 

Just this past weekend it is estimated that over $30 million dollars was raised by runners at the New York Marathon.  This includes the great number of celebrities who ran for a cause. 

People are finding a deeper connection between the sport of running and the cause.  Most would tell you they run because they can and they run for those that have suffered more then they will for the 3 to 6 hours it takes them to finish a marathon.  The training for a marathon is not a grueling as a round of chemotherapy. 

Team in Training is the largest organization that trains participants to run marathons, half marathons, triathlons and century bike rides.  They give you organized training, pay the entrance in the race, and the travel to get there.  You raise money for the Leukemia Society and finish the race.  If you have been to a race lately you have seen all of the people both running and on the sidelines in Purple.  It really is inspirational to hear a mother tell you thank you for running for her daughter suffering from Leukemia. 

If raising upwards of $3,000 isn’t something that you feel you can do while raising a family, training for a family and many of times working full time, there are other options.  Raises dedicated to the cause are out there.  Of course my favorite is the National Breast Cancer Marathon held in Jacksonville, FL every February.  100% of the registration fees go to the cause to Finish Breast Cancer. There is of course the ability to do further fundraising and it is encouraged, but not required to run the raise and see millions of spectators who have been impacted by people who have fought Breast Cancer. 

If getting in shape isn’t enough to get you off the couch, then look for a cause to run for.  The pain is temporary, pride is forever.