The Boston Quafier Lie

[Paul Petersen]

Yes, this is really bad news for NGOs. It's as though Obama is try to put them out of business and replace them with...well, you know.

[Holly]

I agree with Sasha - "If I want to support a cause, I donate $20 directly to that cause, not $20 to the race director who takes out some for his expenses, and then the rest to the cause. The more complex things get the more opportunity for abuse, more so when money is involved."

I have not yet qualified for Boston, but I hope to eventually qualify.  I would never use fundraising as a vehicle to get in.  In my mind it is comparable to bribing someone to let me in before I have earned the right.

I hate it when my friends, co-workers, and family send me an email asking me to donate to a cause so that they can participate in an event.  I don't even buy girl scout cookies anymore.  I'll give $10 to the troop before I buy $10 worth of cookies that I don't want.  That way the troop gets 100% of the money.  If I want to give to a charity, I give the money directly to the charity.

[Neil Price]

I don't know bout y'all, but if the gubmint says I can only deduct 28 cents on the dollar then the Special Olympics can pound sand.

[dave rockness]

I guess I'm alone on this one.  My cousin ran a marathon for charity after the death of her sister.  It was a meaningful event and gave her a tangible experience to accompany a gift in honor of a loved one.  Most of the "charity" folks don't really interfere with the serious runners anyway...most of them are in the first couple corrals.  Me, I'd only participate on a BQ, yet have no hostility towards the extras. 

[Mike Davis]

I think running for charity is a good thing. It gets a few people to run who wouldn't and also gets some people to donate to charity when they wouldn't otherwise.
Whenever someone tells me that they have run the Boston I'm still compelled to say "wow that's awesome; what marathon did you run to qualify?".

[Neil Price]

FYI: I was kidding about telling the Special Olympics to pound sand.  The charitable exemption would have to fall to at least 25 cents on the dollar for me to do that.   Oh, and I agree with Dave and Mike.  Anything that encourages charitable conduct and has the ancillary effect of pizzing off those who favor exclusion v. inclusion is a good thing in my book.    

[jtshad]

So, what is the problem with encouraging people to run and supporting a good cause?   

[Paul Petersen]

So, what is the problem with encouraging people to run and supporting a good cause?   

I'm still not sure. But it sure gets peoples' goat.

[Jon Allen]

So, what is the problem with encouraging people to run and supporting a good cause?

I don't have any problem with it.  Race for the Cure, etc- great!  My only issue is letting people in the "elite" Boston marathon via charity rather than qualifying time.  I think it diminishes the prestige.

[Sasha Pachev]

The problem is in the waste and misrepresentation. On the surface it looks like they ran to support the cause. In reality a significant portion of the money donated did not go to the cause. Additionally, running in the whole process was more of a red herring. The end purpose is more efficiently reached without the involvement of running. I would prefer if running was valued for what it is rather than for what it is not.

[Paul Petersen]

Why is running so important?

[Jonathan Loschi]

Curious topic.  Running is really just exercise at the end of the day.

Im not sure that charites sponsored by Race for the Cure or any other "charitable" runs would raise nearly as much money if they just had to rely on people deciding to mail in a donation.  I have no problem with charitable runs.  Also, these runs typically get people running that normally do not, and maybe they'll get bitten by the bug. 

[Paul Petersen]

Curious topic.  Running is really just exercise at the end of the day.

Exactly.

Im not sure that charites sponsored by Race for the Cure or any other "charitable" runs would raise nearly as much money if they just had to rely on people deciding to mail in a donation.  I have no problem with charitable runs.  Also, these runs typically get people running that normally do not, and maybe they'll get bitten by the bug. 

Exactly...again. These charities know what they are doing. If running was not an effective fundraiser, they would not do it. It's great to say, "If I want someone to get money, I'll just mail them a check," but most people don't operate that way. Charity running gives people goals, a cause, and a destination, all wrapped in one. Yeah, not everyone needs that, but many people do.

[Neil Price]

Running is really just exercise at the end of the day.

You need to get with the program Loschi.  Running is serious business.  Letting losers who raise money for charity crash the Boston Marathon just puts us on a slippery slope leading to the dilution of the sport and possibly anarchy.  I fear for this country when a weekend warrior like me can get into the most prestigious marathon in the world by raising a few bucks for cancer research.  How can my coworker who's been running since he fell out of his mother's womb hope to truly standout among his peers if I'm always there to remind everybody that even a schmuck w/ a half decent pair of saucony's can get in?  We need these arbitrary time limits- they're important measuring sticks.  Ultimately, if you can't use time limits then, paraphrasing Judge Smails, owner of the exclusive Bushwood Country Club, "How do you measure yourself with other [runners]?"   

[Holly]

I'm all for people getting out and running.  I'm not fast and never will be, so I am guilty of slowing down lots of marathons.  I also believe in giving to charities - depending on my cause of the day, I'll support breast cancer research, leukemia research, burn victims, alzheimers research, the red cross, the local homeless shelter, food bank, and the spca.  But I also want to know where my money goes. 

I guess I have become cynical after being hit up continuously for "good causes."  I also have a problem with donating to a friend's destination marathon - a lot of the money being raised for these running events pays for the entry to the marathon, airfare, etc. 

Not to pick on one group, but someone has done some research about where the donations for Team In Training go:
http://www.davidhays.net/running/tnt.html

Now that I have that off of my chest, if someone raises money for a cause while they are training for a marathon, more power to them.  And if they can get their friends and family to donate, that is great.  But, certain events should be off limits.  The Boston Marathon is one of those events.