Meta: Here, you can find out why participating in a marathon should be something that you add to your bucket list.
There are lots of different reasons why people run marathons, and for many people, the number one reason is to raise awareness of a particular cause or charity and also to raise money for the charity via sponsorship and donations. For others, it’s all about the discipline and the personal motivation that goes into training to run a marathon and then achieving such an amazing goal, and for others, it’s purely about the health benefits and keeping fit.
Why participating in a marathon for charity should be on your bucket list
A bucket list is essentially a list of achievements or experiences someone plans to accomplish before they kick the proverbial bucket. On many people’s bucket lists today is running a marathon. But why should you add participating in a marathon for charity to your bucket list? Some of the top reasons for participating in a marathon are the following:
- To raise money AND awareness for a charity that means something to you
- To get motivated and committed to something amazing and see it through to the end
- To find new friends and become part of a unique new community
- To experience a huge crowd of people cheering you on
- To achieve something that’s not easy to do
- To get fit and healthy after months of training and improve your well-being (don’t forget that a healthy body leads to a healthy mind)
What is a marathon?
A marathon is one of several mass participation events that people always seem to add to their bucket lists. It’s basically a long-distance run that is generally greater than or equal to 26 miles (which is 42.195 Km). You can also find half marathons, so don’t panic if running over 25 miles sounds a little too much.
The route has usually always been planned out and certified by the local authority, and the event generally has to get clearance before it’s held on a certain day of the year. It must also be staffed by a professional event staffing agency. Some of the most famous marathons in the world that many of you will already be familiar with by now are:
- The London Marathon
- The New York Marathon
- The Boston Marathon
- The Sahara Marathon
Other honourable mentions
In addition to these famous marathons, you also have the Big Five Marathon, the Jungle Marathon, the Zermatt Marathon, the Great Wall Marathon, and even the North Pole Marathon, to name just a few.
Apart from marathons, what other mass participation events are there?
Apart from marathons, there are many other mass participation events out there today, most of which involve raising awareness for a charitable cause. Some are more demanding than others and require, in some cases, months of training, whereas others are light-hearted and fun and don’t require any form of training. For example, you have the iconic Grow your Mo (moustache) by Movember Foundation each year that raises millions for charity.
You also have the World’s Biggest Coffee Morning by the Macmillan Cancer Support Charity. The Race for Life by Cancer Research is another famous mass participation event, as well as the Cycle 33 event by Cancer Research UK, the Brave the Shave by Macmillan, the Kiltwalk event, and the Go Sober by Macmillan event. Some of these events may only last for just a couple of hours or more on a certain day of the year, and others can go on for much longer periods of time, perhaps two or more weeks.
A Look at some of today’s biggest UK charities
Many of the following major charities have, at some point, held some kind of mass participation event, and they have all helped raise millions in donations for their cause. Some of the most famous charities in the United Kingdom today are the Salvation Army, the National Trust, RNLI Lifeboats, Breast Cancer Care, Macmillan Cancer Support, the RSPB, Marie Curie, Barnardo’s, Samaritans, Children in Need, and the WWF.
Other major charities that have been around for many years now are the RSCPA, Great Ormond Street Hospital, the NSPCC, the British Heart Foundation, the British Red Cross, St John Ambulance, Cancer Research UK, Alzheimer’s Research UK, Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, Prostate Cancer UK, Keep Britain Tidy, London’s Air Ambulance, and Help for Heroes, to name just a few.
Images courtesy of unsplash.com
