Travelling To Run Charity Marathons
My Travel Story
TRAVELLING TO RUN CHARITY MARATHONS! I RUN MARATHONS TO RAISE MONEY FOR 42 CHARITIES
So What I Do Is, I Travel Around The World To Run Marathons To Raise Money For Charity. But Obviously I Need Money To Travel To All These Places. In The Next Part Or The Following Of The Text I'll Explain My Motivation For Running Marathons, Why And What Charities I Raise Money For. If You Don't Care About That Please Just Skip To The End Because It's A Very Long Story. If You Want To Support My Cause And Donate To Let My Travel To All These Marathons And Raise Money For Charity I Would Really Appreciate It But If You Don't That's Also No Problem. I Just Have Never Been Able To Travel For Charity Marathons Yet So I Have Only Run Those In My Home Country Belgium And The Netherlands. But That's Fine I Can Raise Money That Way Too. I Would Just Love To Travel To New York, London, And Paris One Day To Run Charity Marathons There Too.
Hello, Beautiful & Lovely People
I Know What You Might Think, Again, Some Other Ordinary Kid Trying to Raise Money for Charity by Doing Something ‘Spectacular’ For Charity, in This Case Running a Marathon. Nothing Special, Just Someone Who Lacks Attention & Probably Thinks He’s Superior to Others.
If You Think I Am One of Many Trying to Raise Money for Charity on These Funding Websites, You Are Kind of Right. But I Understand What Makes You Think That. On The One Hand, I Am Just Another Ordinary 16-year-old From A Quiet Farming Village in Belgium With A Dream to Become Someone in This Sometimes Unpleasant and Awful World.
I Will Try to Convince You Anyway to Donate to This Cause. I Feel Like I Am a Bad Storyteller, So I Am Going to Answer Some Questions That Might Come to Mind.
Why Am I Running A Marathon?
It’s Important to Mention That I Am NOT Running It to Impress Others. I Am Purely Doing It for Myself. Since Last Year Up Until Now, I Just Feel Worthless. I Wasn’t Doing Anything to Improve Myself or Anything Productive. I Am Not Proud of Myself, and I Hope to Achieve That Feeling When Completing a Marathon in a Decent Time. Even Though I Doubt That I Will Feel Better After Finishing the Marathon, Since I Know How Hard I Can Be on Myself. It Might Sound Strange, but I Just Want to Know What It Feels Like to Achieve Something. When I Look at My Surroundings and Peers, I Just Feel Like They All Have Accomplished Something Already. I Feel Like I Am Running Behind.
It Sounds Silly, But I Want to Get That Feeling of Accomplishment for the First Time Ever. I Am Not the Fittest Person on Earth, But I Am Pretty Average, and I Know That I Can Do It When I Put My Mind to It. Also, Because I Want to Prove to the World That You Can Do Anything If You Just Want It Enough and That You Should Never Doubt Your Own Capabilities.
My Mindset Has Always Been: Live Your Life the Way You Want, by Doing Everything You Always Wanted to Do; Go Pursue Your Dreams. Why Postpone What You Want to Do? Do It Today; Make That Change Right Now. You Always Dreamt of Starting Your Own Business or Company; Okay, Good, Go Do It Right Now! Why Wait? Tired of Your Job and Want to Change Careers; Good, Go Do It. Don't Wait Because There Is No Good Reason To. Wanna Lose Weight or Get in Shape, Perfect; I Want to See You in the Gym Tonight. Keep Yourself Accountable! Always Wanted to Travel the World or Move Countries, Excellent; Drive to the Airport and Get on That Plane. Why Not Do It? You Are Free; Do What Makes You Happy! Sometimes We Forget, a Lot of People Would Do Anything to Be in Your Shoes; If They Were as Privileged as You Are, They Would Be Like, "I Have Nothing to Lose." Want to Tell That One Person or Friend You Actually Love Him/Her and That You Think They Are the Love of Your Life? You Want to Tell Your Family, Colleagues, and Friends How Much You Appreciate Them? Go Do It; That's All I Can Say. Make Things a Reality. People Always Love to Make Excuses, but Deep Inside, They Know They Don't Make Any Sense and Are Holding Them Back From What They Actually Want in Life. Don't Live With Regret!
Why Running It in Such Short Notice?
It Adds Another Challenge to the Table. I Felt Like Everyone Can Run a Marathon If They Prepare a Couple of Months. It Takes Away a Bit of the Challenge and Excitement Around It. Don’t Get Me Wrong, Running a Marathon Is Always a Challenge, but Even More So When You Don’t Have Months to Prepare for It. Furthermore, Most of It Has to Do With My Personality. I Am a Really Spontaneous and Impulsive Person. Also, There Are Not a Lot of Marathons in My Country, and I Figured, Why Not Just Do the Closest Upcoming or the Next Marathon There Is in My Country? I Come From an Everyday Typical Middle-Class Family, So I Don’t Have the Means to Travel All Over the World to Run Marathons at Any Given Time. That Doesn’t Give Me Much Time to Prepare for It, but I Like It That Way, and That Makes This Cause Even More Worthy and Out of the Ordinary. Don’t Get Me Wrong; I Have Nothing to Complain About. I Have Everything I Could Wish, and I Have the Most Loving Family Ever.
Which Marathon and When Am I Running?
I Am Running the Antwerp Marathon on the 22nd October 2023. Basically, Next Month From the Moment I Am Writing This.
How Can You Receive Updates About the Charity and the Money, Whether I Completed the Marathon, My Training/Progress, Other Questions, etc.?
Unfortunately, I Was Raised Really Old-School. Believe It or Not, in This Day and Age, I Don’t Have Any Social Media. So What I Will Provide Everyone That Donates 200 Euro or More With My Phone Number, Email Address, Strava Account, etc., So That You Can Follow Every Step I Put Forward and Everything That Is Going on With the Charity. As a Donor, I Want You to Feel Like a Partner in This Event, Not Just Like an ATM. I Care About What You Care About, But You Have to Equally Care About the Cause as Much as I Do.
Why Raise Money and Not Just Run a Marathon Without It?
Obviously, There Is No Doubt That Money Is a Very Big Motivator. People Are Willing to Go Further When There Is Something Big on the Line. I Realize Raising Money for Running a Marathon Is a Common Thing; Many People Have Gone Before Me. Nonetheless, I Am Going to Try and Do It.
Why Raising So Much Money, 42.2k Exactly?
Well, Just Like in a Marathon Where Every Meter Counts, Same Goes for the Charity. Every Dollar for Them Counts and Means a Lot. During the Marathon, Every Meter Is Equally Hard; for the Charity, Every Dollar Is Equally Valuable and Needed. You Can Never Raise Enough Money. Through the Years, I Have Learned That Being a Kind Person Day in and Day Out Can Bring a Lot of Joy and Make a Lot of People's Day and Improve Someone's Life and So On. But in the End of the Day, We Gotta Be Honest With Ourselves, Kindness Doesn’t Pay the Bills, Kindness Without Money Doesn’t Have a Big Impact. In My Everyday Life, I Don’t Really Care About Money. I Believe That You Should Never Sell Your Soul for Money. But to Be Fair and Realistic, You Need Money to Have an Impact on This World, to Change Lives. If You Want to Change the World, You Have to Know How to Pay for It. I Am Not Talking About Being a Good Person; You Can Be That for Free. I Am Talking About If You Want to Create Something, Build a Community, Improve the Lives of Others, You NEED Money for That Kind of Stuff. Everyday Great Ideas Die on the Vine Because They Don’t Have Capital for It.
All of the Work and Vision That You Put Into Something Isn’t Worth Much If You Can't Pay the Bills. Real Change and Impact Simply Require Resources. To Make Things Happen, You Need Support. I Am Not Going to Beat Around the Bush; 42K Is a Very Ambitious and Over-the-Top Goal, but I Believe We Can Make It Happen with Your Support. The More Money, the More Change. Money Makes the World Go Around!
I Know What You Might Be Thinking: Why Do I Not Just Donate Directly to the Charity I Want, Instead of Donating Through You?
Listen, I Completely Understand That Concern. If You Want to Donate to Charity Directly for Whatever Reason, There Is Nothing Holding You Back. If You Donate Through Me You Contribute to My Journey As Well As Support 42 Great Charities at Once. I Am Not Desperate for Donations; I Would Definitely Appreciate You Supporting My Cause, but If You Prefer Not To, I Equally Respect That. For Me, the Most Important Thing Is to Inspire People, Bring Love, and Hopefully, You Received Some Valuable Life Lessons Through Me. If You Donate Through Me, You Hop on an Exciting Journey with Me. Plus, If You Donate Through Me, You Immediately Support 42 Charities at Once. Because I Personally Selected 42 Charities, One for Every Kilometer, That I Was Sure Of That They Would Need the Money and, More Importantly, Wouldn't Waste It and Would Put It to Good Use. You Also Support a Young Gentleman Trying to Become a Better Version of Himself, Trying to Build Himself Up as a Man. Although This Marathon Is a Personal Goal, It’s for Me to Feel How Hard I Will Have to Work to Achieve Something in This Life and to Become Mentally Tough. Don’t Get Me Wrong; This Isn’t About Me at All; It’s About the People Who Suffer Every Day. They Feel Like They Have to Run a Marathon Every Day to Survive. People Who Are Mentally Even Stronger Than I Am and Deserve the Money More Than Anyone. Every Meter of This Marathon Will Remind Me of What Kind of Pain Some Other People Have to Go Through Daily.
What Charity Did I Choose to Donate to?
This Part Actually Took Me a Long Time. There Are So Many Options of Charities You Can Choose From, All Basically Having the Same Goals, Objectives, and Supporting the Same Issues. Most Charities Share a Common Interest or Commitment to Specific Issues and Principles. So, My Main Question Was Which Charity Can Use Your Money the Most and Puts It to the Best Use. Because That’s My Main Concern: Is Our Money Going to Be Used the Right Way, and Is It Really Needed by the Charity? Besides That, It’s Equally Important That the Charity Supports the Right Objectives/Issues That We Consider Important, Deserving, and Worthwhile to Help.
When I Thought About Which Charity to Choose and Why, I Wanted My Money to Go to the People Who Really Need It the Most and Also to a Charity That a Lot of People Can Resonate With and Feel Empathy For. I Wanted People to Feel Like Their Money Was in the Right Place and Being Put to Good Use. When I Think About People/Charity Who Really Need the Money, I Am Thinking About the Most Vulnerable, Which Are Children and People Who Are Seriously Ill and Don’t Have Access to Healthcare. People Who Don’t Have Access to the Basic Needs, Education, and Protection. I Live in a Country Where I Can’t Imagine Not Having Access to Healthcare and Not Being Insured for Medical Issues and Hospital Bills. Suffering From Being Ill and Unhealthy Is One Thing, But Then Also Having to Deal With the Bills, Costs, and Financial Burden Is Another Thing. You Shouldn't Have to Pay for Being Ill; It’s Not Something You Wished For. I Just Feel Like It’s Ridiculous That a Country Leaves Its Citizens Without Any Financial Help When They Get Sick and Need Medical Treatment. There Are So Many Good and Bad Charities, So Picking One or a Couple Was a Very Hard Thing to Do. So I Decided, Why Not Just Support as Many Charities as Possible by Picking One for Every Kilometer I Am Going to Run? I Put My Head Down for a Month, Looked Into Possibly Every Charity There Is, and With That Knowledge, I Handpicked the Ones I Felt Like I Trusted the Most With the Money and That Would Leave the Best and Most Impact on as Many People as Possible. I Wanted to Support as Many People as Possible and Ensure That the Money Would Work for Their Benefit. So, I Chose a Broad, Diversified Network of the Best Charities in the World. The 42 I Chose Support a Wide Range of Issues Involving Education, Research, Poverty, Healthcare, Housing, Well-Being, Companionship, Resources, Hunger, Social Interaction, Therapy, Services, Meal Delivery, Hospice, Palliative Care, Fulfilling Wishes, Support, Child Development, Awareness, Financial Literacy, Advocacy, Early Detection, Loneliness, Equality, Child Rights, Child-Focused Initiatives, Essential Items, Blindness, Clean Water, Crisis Areas, and More…
If You Want to Know More About any of the charities underneath you can always go on their website our look up videos about what they do on youtube.
Cancer:
ü Susan G Komen for the Cure
ü American Cancer Society
ü Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
ü National Breast Cancer Foundation
ü New York Cancer Foundation
ü Stand Up Against Cancer (Kom Op Tegen Kanker) Belgium
ü French League Against Cancer (La Ligue contre le cancer)
ü German Cancer Aid (Deutsche Krebshilfe)
ü Cancer Research UK
ü Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research (Blood Cancer UK)
ü Italian League for the Fight Against Cancer (Lega Italiana per la Lotta contro i Tumori, or LILT)
ü The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR)
ü The Livestrong Foundation
ü Lustgarten Pancreatic Cancer Foundation
ü Think Pink Europe
Children:
ü St Jude Children Research Hospital
ü Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation
ü National Pediatric Cancer Foundation
ü Junior Achievement
ü Children International
ü My Stuff Bags
ü No Kid Hungry
ü Make A Wish
ü The Children's Society
ü UNICEF (United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund)
ü Plan International
ü Barnardo's
ü Save The Children
ü Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders)
ü Red Cross
Seniors (Alzheimer):
ü Pets For the Elderly
ü Foundation Alzheimer Research Belgium (stopalzheimer.be)
ü Capital Caring Health
ü Cure Alzheimer’s Fund
ü Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation
ü Alzheimer’s Foundation/Association of America
ü Catholic Charities USA
ü Meals on Wheels
ü Little Brothers - Friends of the Elderly
ü Elderly Instruments
ü The Silver Line
ü Seva Foundation
Bonuses:
If We Reach Our Donation Goal And Raise The Entire 42k, I’ll Run Another 8km And Make It 50km. + I’ll Donate 3000 Dollars of My Own Money I Worked For All Summer To The Charities. Plus I’ll Donate As Much of My Own Blood I Possibly Can To The (Blood) Cancer Research Charities.
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Campaign Ended
€ 0
Total Donation Received-
0%
Funded -
€ 7.300
Goal Amount -
0
Days Left
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Cost Calculator
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Airfare/ International Flights
€ 4.200
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Accommodation
€ 1.000
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Application/ Deposit Fee
€ 700
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Local Travel Expenses
€ 1.000
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Passport/ Visa/ Residence Permit
€ 150
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Luggage and Equipment
€ 250
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