Do it for a Cause!

Autumn brings a lot of great things with it: football, pumpkin everything, sweaters, boots, and charity walks. My personal favorite is the Susan G Komen Race for the Cure. In the past I've walked the 5k, but this year I'm running it as well as participating in the pre-race registration. Volunteering for and participating in charity walks and runs is a great way to work on your fitness as well as give money to a cause you support!

Some great charity walks/runs include:

• Susan G Komen Race for the Cure: I'll be running this 5k in October and it truly is a great atmosphere! It's amazing to see the amount of participants and donations increase as the race continues to grow. This is an especially fun race to do with friends or co-workers since it is such a large race. The Race for the Cure does an excellent job of raising money for breast cancer research.
• Celiac Run/Walk: In Baltimore, this run/walk takes place in May and you can choose to run or walk a 5k or run a 10k. Donations go to the Center for Celiac Research at the University of Maryland.
• Baltimore Heart Walk: The day before the Race for the Cure in Baltimore is the Baltimore Heart Walk, a 3 mile walk to support survivors of heart disease and stroke as well as encourage healthy behavior changes.
• Take Steps for Crohn's and Colitis: This walk raises the most amount of money for Crohn's and Colitis research, with the last walk raising over $141,000. The walk is 3 miles long and is followed by music and entertainment in the Inner Harbor. 

 Around the country you'll find plenty of opportunities to get fit for a cause and, chances are, if there's a cause dear to you, there's either a walk or you can start one yourself!

Posted in: charity, fitness, health, race for the cure, running, susan g komen