Races For A Cause

      I recently participated in two 5k races that were for a charitable cause.  For those who have not done a race before, you pay about fifteen to thirty dollar to enter into the race and most of that money goes to whatever the cause is.  Usually you run the race and you get little nick-nacks from sponsers in your runners bag, and they provide you with snack items after.  Depending on how you placed in your race (its usually divied into age divisions) you can win metals and trophies. 
    The first race that I did was for the kids against hunger.  I thought that they did a great job putting the race together.  They were very organized and everything started almost right on time.  The had a great course set up.  We ran mostly on hard surfaced roads with just a few small hills.  They had police set up at bigger intersections so that runners didn't have to stop if cars were coming by.  They also had people at each mile to tell you your time so you could see how you were doing and adjust your pace.  After the race they had a bunch of snacks and free stuff from sponsers, you even had the option to package food for Haiti.
   The second race I did was for the make-a-wish foundation. This is a great organization that grants the wishes of sick children. They also did an amazing job setting up this charity event.  Before the race they had a group of cheerleaders perform, they had three make-a-wish kids share their stories, and they had a warm up session to loosen up your muscles.  Then the race started.  It started in the parking lot of a stadium and then circled around the neighborhood and back into the stadium.  The runners got to finish on home plate, and I thought that was pretty neat.  After the 5k race they had a fun walk around the baseball diamond.  After that they had food (hotdogs, chips, bananas, etc.) that you could purchase.  They finished the event with an award ceremony and a goal to make next years race even bigger.

http://www.clker.com/clipart-4309.html

   I think that setting up a race is great way to raise money for a good cause, especially in the fall and spring when the weather is nice.  Participants get to do something fun and accomplish their running goals while helping others around the community, nation, and even the world. I encourage anyone out there who has an interest in running to try a race for a charitable cause.  You will get to do something you enjoy and you will  make a difference in someones life. :)