Last year I was looking at the Walt Disney World marathon and ran across the “Goofy’s Challenge”. The challenge involves running a half marathon followed by a full marathon in the same weekend. I was intrigued by the prospect. It would definitely be a challenge for me since I’ve always had a tough time in the three previous marathons that I’d run. Regardless, I could not resist. We decided to make it a family vacation to Florida.
A couple of months back I decided that I wanted to make the effort more meaningful than just another personal goal or accomplishment. I decided to run on behalf of my little boy and raise funds for a charity related to Autism. My 4 year old son was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome in the summer of 2007. I researched various charities and settled on the Autism Research Institute. It had a good rating for the use of contributions and has been on the forefront of treatment options.
I proceeded to put up a web site (Run4Alex), place a poster at work, send out e-mails, and make up business cards to give out.
Even after a cold that has put a kink in my program, I’ve found that it’s generally easier to train and that I am more optimistic about the outcome. I think about my son and the many people that have donated on his behalf in these difficult economic times. I get a bit emotional with each contribution. It’s personal. It’s meaningful. It’s motivational. My effort is valuable to others. It feels good.
I’d encourage anyone to find “another” reason to race. You really don’t have to go around begging for contributions. Just make your effort known and you’ll be surprised by how many good and generous people there are.
By the way, I will continue to raise funds doing various races throughout the year, so visit my site and donate if you can.
Thanks.