2019 will be my 9th New York CIty Marathon and the first time I’ll run it for charity. Over the next few months, I need to pick a charity, start to fund raise, and start to train. I can’t wait as its one of the things I look forward to the most every year that I have an entry.
Why I’ve ran the NYC Marathon nine times is one of those things that deserves its own post. In the absence of having written it, suffice to say its been a part of a few of the most important moments in my life.
Picking a charity will be a challenge. They’re are literally hundreds of charities to choose from. Which one makes sense seems to be a compromise between what cause one wants to raise money for, how much money to raise, and side benefits the charity gets you for the rack.
In terms of a cause, I am fortunate to not have too many tragedies in my life. So picking becomes harder for me. As I suspect that if one had a personal tragedy to dedicate the race to one would simply pick that charity and dedicate the race to that charity. If someone close to me had a tragedy that I could easily connect to a charity I would proceed to raise money for the charity.
For what I’ve gathered, the New York Road Runner’s Official Charity, Team for Kids has the lowest minimum fundraising guarantee. However, it’s relatively close to the minimums other charities offer. Team for Kids is at $2620 + $100 for joining team for kids + the race registration fees. Other charities start at $3,000 and include the fees.
Likewise, some charities offer a training group/team. I already have one so this is of low interest for me. My only other charity marathon was to raise money for the American Cancer Society and I did not do a single training run with them. I did wear they’re ringlet and appreciated their cheers on the race course.
So stay tuned. I think I’ll figure out which charity to use in a few months.