A charity runner is a participant in a road race who raises money or awareness for an established 501(c) organization. Whether running to honor a hero or find a cure for cancer, there are many ways you can learn how to be a charity runner.

Disclaimer: I’ve partnered up with Team in Training because I’m a BibRave Creator (BRC). As a BRC, from time to time I receive compensation in the form of free products, payments, or free race entries. None of this impacts what I write. All opinions are all my own.

Why Be a Charity Runner

Many large, well-known races, have a registration cap. Due to this cap on race registrations, runners either must qualify to register based upon their running pace or they can register as a charity runner.

After finishing my first marathon in March of 2012 in Torreon, Coahuila, I immediately began looking for my next Marathon. Since I was moving back home to California that summer, I began looking for fall marathons in my hometown state. This is when I found the Nike Women’s Marathon in San Francisco. Sadly, the race was already sold out. I did have an option, however, of registering for the race as a fundraising runner through Team in Training (TNT).

On May 19th, 2012, I published my first blog post announcing that I had joined TNT and was seeking friends, family, and businesses to support me in my quest to raise $2,500 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

As a fundraising participant, you have the privilege of running for a purpose greater than yourself. As you are running to improve your physical health, you are also running to honor a hero or find a cure. All of the sudden, your training takes on greater significance than merely training for distance or pace.

Steps to Becoming a Charity Runner

One of the first steps of becoming a charity runner is to find a nonprofit organization you are passionate about supporting and/or a race you desire to register for as a charity participant.

One way to run for charity includes logging your miles through an app. Charity apps allow runners to select a charity and exchange their miles for good. Once you choose a charity, you get moving and the app tracks your movement. For every mile you log, you help to earn money towards your chosen charity.

A highly coveted race is the Boston Marathon. Most know that you must qualify for the Boston Marathon based upon your running pace. There is, however, another option such as running the race with a charity bib. The Boston Marathon is just one out of many races that allow an allotted number of charity bib runners.

As stated prior, another option (my favorite) is to become a charity runner by joining a team such as Team in Training. Within TNT’s website, you may find a list of available upcoming events you can register for and fundraise.

Team in Training is my favorite option because not only am I passionate about finding a cure, but I also really love the TEAM aspect of TNT. There are weekly team workouts, coaches to encourage you, and friendships that are made to last a lifetime. I highly recommend Team in Training to everyone I meet!

Start Today

What are you waiting for? There’s no need to delay. Start logging your miles for a purpose greater than yourself, today!

Join TNT’s 30 day Resilience Challenge! Resiliency by definition is the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness. I’m proud to partner up with Team in Training for their 30 day Resilience Challenge in the month of September and I’d love for you to join my team!

During the month of September, Blood Cancer Awareness Month, we challenge each participant to complete 50 miles in whichever way they prefer (running, walking, cycling, etc.) and aim to raise $500 towards our mission. Registration is free, and there is no fundraising commitment but we know the most resilient participants will crush the fundraising challenge.

Team In Training’s Resilience Challenge is movement on a mission – are you ready to take on the challenge? Join team Run Strong Run and register HERE.