Why do we race?
The answer might feel pretty easy to you: We race because we want a goal. We race because we want to test ourselves. We race because we want the camaraderie of race day, the excitement that comes from being around hundreds of other people with the same goal, and the better performance that comes from the unique adrenaline rush of race day.
But is that all there really is to it? The truth is, racing for charity is so easy now that we believe there’s no reason to not donate your efforts to raise money for charity while you’re training and racing. When we look for races to run, we look for those that already have a charity built in. We do this for a couple of reasons. One, sheer volume: many race directors are picking a charity to at least raise awareness for. Two, there are so very many worthwhile charities that need help. And three, we figure, if you’re going to spend the time training and the energy racing, someone other than ourselves might as well benefit from our efforts.
The Good Karma 5K in Seattle lets you choose your own charity.
From the sponsorship perspective, it’s yet another piece of the puzzle. We can encourage race directors who choose to put on charitable races by sponsoring their events and putting our own kind of muscle behind their good efforts. So when we got the opportunity to sponsor a multisport club last year, we chose theColumbia Multisport Club, which has a long history of producing an annual race that donates money to cancer research. To date, the club’s raised over $100,000 for the Ellis Fischel Cancer Center.
And in a little over a week, we’ll be at the Danskin Triathlon, which raises money and awareness for two women’s cancer centers while helping women to feel stronger.
Finally, we’re happy to have discovered the Against the Wind 5K, a virtual race taking place March of next year, that will encourage everyone to run their own 5k, to raise awareness and funds for people suffering from chemical dependency via the Dick Beardsley Foundation.
Feeling inspired? Yeah, we are too. We’re firm believers that you should put 100% into whatever you do. For us, that means getting behind a great cause. It helps us to be better athletes.
What’s your motivation? Tell us in the comments below!