Why do you run marathons? This is a question that many people have asked. As a marathoner, it’s a question that is always difficult to answer. That’s like asking someone why they travel or why they enjoy a sunny day or why they eat cake. Sure, the answer begins with enjoyment. While people accept this explanation for why I love the Salty Dog Sundae at Captain Sundae, they won’t accept this answer for why I run 26.2 miles. Right now I’m reading My First 100 Marathons: 2,620 Miles with an Obsessive Runner by Jeff Horowitz, and his reasons for running marathons really connect to my own. He talks about the sense of accomplishment, challenge, and variety within marathons. Someday, I’ll explore these reasons more in-depth. I don’t think I have enough room to write about all my reasons for running marathons right now, though. That’s one thought that I’m going to explore more, so I can be more concise on a future post. Instead, I’m going to add (with your help) a new reason for marathoning. Marathons have always be a personal challenge for me. I’ve never used a marathon to raise money for a charity. That ends now. I’d like you all to help me choose a cause. I’ll be running the Akron Marathon in September, and I will focus on raising funds for the charity you select. Please don’t recommend your friends who are named Charity (lol).
 
 Boys and Girls Club of America: I taught in an alternative high school for four years, and I saw the good that the Boys and Girls Club can accomplish. They give kids a safe place to learn and grow without the pressure to act tough. They provide homework support, organized group activities, and mentorship. Most importantly, they teach kids the skills necessary to become positive role models to the younger kids in the area.

Team Hole in the Wall: This is a team that was founded by Paul Newman. Members of this team raise funds to send kids with life-threatening diseases to camps. It is a grass-roots association of camps designed to let these kids forget about their illnesses and focus on having kid-sized fun without worries. More than 135,000 kids from across the nation and around the world have attended these camps free-of-charge thanks to this chariable organization.

High Cloud Foundation: High Cloud seeks to aid the poorest people of the world. It focuses on women and children in war-torn, impoverished areas. It also works to restore areas hardest hit by natural disasters. High Cloud services women and children in places such as Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, Columbia, Macedonia, the Middle East, Nigeria, Kenya, and India.

Wounded Warrior Project: My brother-in-law is a machine gunner in the Marines. He proudly serves our country everyday. He has served in Iraq and has seen his brothers get injured. The Wounded Warrior Project seeks to keep the public aware of the sacrifices of our veterans, to help severely injured service men and women, and to provide training and transition programs to help these warriors when they return home.

Internation School of Kabul: My friend teaches at this school in Afghanistan. The love and encouragement given to these kids changes their lives. The school is raising funds to improve their buildings and to provide scholarship assistance to their students. This is a great way to make a difference in their country.

Team in Training: Team in Training is probably the best known charity among marathoners. Team in Training raises money to fund research into Leukemia and Lymphoma. They have raised more than $600 million to fight blood cancers by funding research.

So, if I can figure out how to insert a poll, I’d like you to help me choose a cause. If you want to vote for other, please leave a comment letting me know what cause you have in mind.