Racing for Charity (Read 389 times)

Does anyone else here ever find themselves attending races just because they want to help the charities that the races are sponsoring? I don't mean the hugely famous Race for the Cure, though obviously many, many people do that one to help support the Cure. I mean the smaller, almost mom-and-pop races that sponsor local charities. I got a flier a couple of days ago for a Women's Distance Festival 5-K race and Health Walk here in Raleigh, NC. It's open to women only, and it benefits Interact of Wake County, which is a domestic violence and sexual assault victims' resource and support organization. I'm familiar with them through my work at the hospital. They're a good organization that I'd want to support. So, I find myself looking at my calendar, thinking, "Hmm. I'm running in this 10K the week before, but I shouldn't be too sore. Yes, yes, I think I could do that..." Now, I learned this year that the entry fees to a race don't actually cover all the expenses associated with a race. (That was quite a shocker!) It's the corporate sponsors who make or break the bank. I looked at the brochure, and this race has some good sponsors behind it. So my running in the race or not won't actually make a direct contribution to Interact, not really. They do have this extra little line on their sign-up form that lets you make an additional donation... Yet I want to run in it to help show my support. Plus the more people they have participate the more $ they can get from corporate sponsors in the future. So I'll probably go even though the timing's a little inconvenient for me. What about the rest of you? Does the charity associated with a race affect your decision on whether or not to run in it? What are your thoughts on racing for charities?

That's a really good point. Or maybe you can do something like what I plan to do for my HM. I will run it for "Girls on the Run." All they require is that a participant "raise" a minimum of $262 ($10/mile of a marathon). A person can run ANY race for that charity. I don't know if other charities do this, but I think it's a good system. k