Here’s another extreme walk for charity from the news…
Englishman Mark Beecham will soon be embarking on a long walk for charity. He’s a 20 year veteran of the postal service and 5 year veteran of the TA (Territorial Army) . He’ll be will be going on a well known Coast to Coast trek which spans 192-miles. He’s raising money for Help For Heroes, a charity which supports British soldiers wounded in battle.
He was quoted in the local paper saying, “The idea’s been in my head for about 10 years and it’s something I’ve always wanted to do.”
Yesterday I highlighted a few of the stories about extreme run/walk events. If you really want to run, walk, or hike long distances for a charity that is great. I could probably do a long distance hike if it were not a race.
But you don’t have to do something that extreme to help a good cause. In fact all the Epilepsy Foundation asks you to do is take a stroll. It’s a pledge based event so you get your friends and family to support you, then just do two miles. That’s it, just two miles. Read more… »
Students at the University of Georgia are taking the lead in helping to raise funds for a great cause. The AIDS Walk/Run Athens will be held on March 1st 2008 starting with a timed 5K race followed by a walk.
Proceeds will benefit AIDS Athens, an organization that serves Athens, GA and 10 surrounding counties. It is the only AIDS facility serving these areas.
Good luck to all of the students planning this event, running, walking and raising funds for a great cause!
On the Runners Lounge Tom starts his post In Praise of Running Plans off by saying “People with a plan do better than people without a plan.” Very true! Having a plan for training for an athletic event is critical for success. You need to have on the calendar how many miles to run (or walk) each day of the week. This training calendar should be planned for the 4-6 months that lead up to a long distance race (half marathon, marathon or longer).
This is one advantage of charity training programs such as Team in Training or Train to End Stroke. These programs help first time marathoners by providing a training calendar. The group training sessions also help participants stick to the schedule.
If you are looking for more support when running or walking an endurance event consider one of the charity programs available. I know how much they help a first timer - my first (and so far only) marathon I did with Team in Training, walking the Anchorage Alaska Marathon. Since then I have done a half-marathon and several shorter distance events. The skills and discipline I learned in TNT made a big difference in training and being successful on race day.
This year the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training program, one of the first endurance events benefiting a charitable cause, celebrates its 20th Anniversary. I participated in TNT in 2001 and walked the Anchorage Alaska Marathon. In fact this is what I had to say about the program:
While I had walked 5K’s and done other type of fundraising, Team in Training is what really got me hooked on fundraising events. There are so many great things about TNT, I cannot begin to describe it!
Crossing the finish line at that marathon is still one of the best moments of my life. Even though I have done other events since then that was my first biggie and will always be remembered fondly. It impacts the participants and most importantly helps the Society make strides in research and services for people going through Leukemia & Lymphoma.
Check out this video that shows the history and impact that the program has made.
This Christmas season a record number of runners turned up dressed as Santa at fun runs in cities on either side of the Atlantic. Several cities were aiming to break the world record for Largest Santa Gathering. So which one took the prize?
On Saturday, December 1st the Las Vegas Great Santa Run was first out of the gate with 7,269 enthusiastic participants. You can even view the gunshot start with thanks to the complete running network, who have reposted the YouTube video of the event. Read more… »
Here’s another amazing charity walk story, this time from Ireland. Pollyanne Hooley recently finished a 387 mile trek from Dublin to Glenbeigh in 24 days. She did this to raise money for The Smile Train, an international charity that provides surgery for children who suffer from cleft lip and palate.
I had a brilliant time, and met some lovely and incredibly generous people. What a simple way to live, just sleeping, walking and eating, with a little drinking from time to time.
She raised funds from family and friends and used a JustGiving page so that people could donate online. Through these efforts $5,000 was raised for The Smile Train.
Students at the University of Georgia are taking the lead in helping to raise funds for a great cause. The 
This Christmas season a record number of runners turned up dressed as Santa at fun runs in cities on either side of the Atlantic. Several cities were aiming to break the world record for Largest Santa Gathering. So which one took the prize?