I’m not running the Chicago Marathon this year (*sniff*), but if I was going to do it (I’m not gonna lie — I’m SO TEMPTED!) I would without a single doubt run for Ronald McDonald House Charities once again.
Why Team RMHC?
Because the obvious – why not? I’ll give you a few reasons:
* The money you raise goes where you want it to go. It’s not spend on someone’s salary or unnecessary costs – it’s spent on the millions of families that RMHC supports.
* They are organized, supportive, and foster an amazing community always willing to provide support, offer motivation, and are a wealth of knowledge for race day. They have an amazing Facebook group where perfect strangers cheer each other on daily.
*They offer free virtual training and (at least they did last year) paid for my bib.
* They treat YOU and your family like rockstars. They literally roll out the red carpet when you finish – and you get a high-five from Ronald McDonald, himself. They fed me AND my family twice (and my kids can eat A LOT) — and the after party was just amazing.
* You are never alone. I got cheers from endless runners and supporters during last year’s marathon and I always knew a teammate was close by. Maybe it was the adrenaline high, but this was by fast my favorite part of the entire race weekend and something I’ll never forget.
So happy I met Angie through RMHC!
In all honesty, I would run for this charity without all of the perks because ultimately it was run by great people doing amazing things. The intrinsic motivation alone and knowing that I was raising money to help a family JUST LIKE MINE helped me wake up at 4am to get my booty out the door.
Why am I telling you this?
Because as of today, registration for Team RMHC for the Chicago Marathon is open — and last year I searched for a post like this to tell me I was making the right decision and picking the right charity (short answer: YES!).
Is it killing me a little that I’m not signing up? Yes. Will I be back, eventually (hopefully in 2016). YOU KNOW IT. I loved every minute (or most minutes – maybe not mile 24) of the Chicago Marathon – and I cannot wait to get back to that city and run again (running endorphins are strong yo!). And also, I’m super excited about hang out with Ronald again…
Please, please, PLEASE let me know if you signed up to run for Team RMHC – I would love to donate.
<3
