Running the Boston Marathon for Charity: A Personal Fundraising Initiative (Part One)

Everyone has heard of the Boston Marathon. It’s the mother of all road races, the most celebrated of them all. Held each year on Patriot’s Day, a holiday recognized only in Massachusetts and Maine, its legendary course stretches a long, laborious 26 miles and 385 yards, country point to city point, from the sleepy, little town of Hopkinton, Massachusetts, to the heart of the state’s capital.

I get tired just thinking about it.

But seriously, for a runner like me, any agony experienced along the way is worth the ecstasy at the end. It doesn’t get any better than crossing the finish line of what is arguably the most prestigious road race in the world.

Meeting the eligibility requirements to run the Boston Marathon isn’t easy, though. For me, it would be next to impossible. Official entrants must have run a fast, qualifying time in another marathon within the last year or so. At my age, 46, that time would be three hours and 30 minutes. Yikes! I’m an avid runner, participating in about 20 races a year, but I’m not that fleet of foot.

Sure, you can run Boston as a “bandit,” starting the race at the back of the pack and going the distance without an official number. You might not get a medal at the finish, but you’ll still get plenty of cheers and high fives from a giddy throng of spectators along the route. Of the six Boston’s on my resume so far, I’ve exercised this option for half of them.

There’s another way to take part in the Boston Marathon, however, one that adds a greater level of significance to what is already a very personal and physically-demanding challenge. The Boston Athletic Association, the non-profit organization that hosts this fabled event, waives the qualifying standards to about 1,100 participants who agree to raise money for a local charity. Since this program was formalized in 1994, Boston Marathon participants have raised nearly $50 million for dozens of worthwhile causes.

Fortunately, I’ve had the opportunity to participate in this wonderfully unique program three times already, once for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (in 1996), and twice for The Home for Little Wanderers (in 2002 and 2003). This spring, I’ll be running the Boston Marathon for another well-known charitable organization, Children’s Hospital Boston.

Note: Written by Yellowfin Direct Marketing’s Bob Cargill, this is part one of a four-part series on running the Boston Marathon for charity. Parts two, three and four will include case studies of Bob’s own personal fundraising campaigns on behalf of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, The Home for Little Wanderers and Children’s Hospital Boston. The entire series will be featured here in A Fine Kettle of Fish over the course of the next few weeks. To sponsor Bob’s marathon run this year (April 18, 2005) on behalf of Children’s Hospital Boston, please click here first, then click on the Sponsor a Runner button.

Be Sociable, Share!

3 thoughts on “Running the Boston Marathon for Charity: A Personal Fundraising Initiative (Part One)

  • […] Running the Boston Marathon for Charity: A Personal Fundraising Initiative (Part One)  January 18, 2005 Running the Boston Marathon for Charity: A Personal Fundraising Initiative (Part Two)  January 24, 2005 Running the Boston Marathon for Charity: A Personal Fundraising Initiative (Part Three)  January 31, 2005 Running the Boston Marathon for Charity: A Personal Fundraising Initiative (Part Four)  February 7, 2005 Running the Boston Marathon for Charity: A Personal Fundraising Initiative (Update)  April 12, 2005 Running the Boston Marathon for Children’s Hospital Boston — and Hailey  October 31, 2005  Running the Boston Marathon for Children’s Hospital Boston — Update  January 30, 2006 Please Sponsor Bob’s Boston Marathon Run for Children’s Hospital Boston  April 6, 2006 A Memorable Boston Marathon for More Reasons Than One  April 19, 2006 […]

  • […] Running the Boston Marathon for Charity: A Personal Fundraising Initiative (Part One) January 18, 2005 Running the Boston Marathon for Charity: A Personal Fundraising Initiative (Part Two) January 24, 2005 Running the Boston Marathon for Charity: A Personal Fundraising Initiative (Part Three) January 31, 2005 Running the Boston Marathon for Charity: A Personal Fundraising Initiative (Part Four) February 7, 2005 Running the Boston Marathon for Charity: A Personal Fundraising Initiative (Update) April 12, 2005 Running the Boston Marathon for Children’s Hospital Boston — and Hailey October 31, 2005 Running the Boston Marathon for Children’s Hospital Boston — Update January 30, 2006 Please Sponsor Bob’s Boston Marathon Run for Children’s Hospital Boston April 6, 2006 A Memorable Boston Marathon for More Reasons Than One April 19, 2006 Running the Boston Marathon for Charity (Yes, Again) January 2, 2009 I’m Running the Boston Marathon for Christopher’s Haven January 25, 2010 […]

Comments are closed.