yeah yeah I know it’s for charity and I’m sure I’ll get flamed for disparaging any charity work but it seems to me that this ‘race for life’ is just an opportunity for a load of women to get dressed in pink, walk round a park and have a natter?!
2 things, first off all the money they spend on pink stuff (hats, glasses, skirts, T shirts, leggings etc) would be put to better use donating to the charity. 2nd) If you’re asking people for money it has to be a challange in my eyes. I like to do at least one charity event a year. I did the C2C one year and I did the lon las cymru last year over 3 days. Both were not exactly hard (swoon) but not easy either, both were a challange however as I did them on my tod without backup. What they weren’t was a stroll round a park for 3.1 miles chatting to my mother!

Meh!

2 things, first off all the money they spend on pink stuff (hats, glasses, skirts, T shirts, skirts etc) would be put to better use donating to the charity.

don’t forget all the new sparkly trainers as well.

but then something like only 1/3 or participants actually donate any cash, or it may be 2/3… either way a huge amount of people who attend make no donation.

Charity events/fundraising is big business. I’m very cynical of it all as a result, which is a shame.

Even more cynical after looking into doing London to Paris about 6 years ago for a local hospice where I was looking to fund the costs personally and any money raised going to them. Turns out that the anything I raised was classed as a donation and not sponsorship, so they could pull the event and I’d have to had over any money to the charity – not back to the sponsors (I’m sure most would’ve said donate it anyway, but it’s not the point!). They also wanted £900 for 3 nights B&B, travel, support and bag carriage which I think was OTT.

That said, an awful lot of people have been inspired by race for life to get fitter and carry on running after the event – so it has it’s not all bad.

It’s the only exercise some of the fat buggers do all year, but they think they are amazing for doing it

Really narks me too

If you’re asking people for money it has to be a challange in my eyes.

Why? And who is the judge of what constitutes a challenge?

I struggle with any sponsored activity….you want to do a bungee/parachute/big run/long bike ride etc, nice one, why on earth should you be sponsored for that?

FWIW I donate to charity in my own way without feeling the need to sponsor someone doing their hobby.

My wife’s first mass participation run was a Race for life. Since that run she has trained as a Personal Trainer, ran several marathons and will be doing her first Ultra in August. Not everyone fits your stereotype.

Why? And who is the judge of what constitutes a challenge?

Me! if you’re asking me to put my hand in my wallet.

I feel a bit the same way about folk looking for sponsorship because they are going to ride a bike 30 miles and acting as if it is some major undertaking and they are adventuring heroes.

Erm.. yeah well done.. I did twice that last Saturday just because it was nice out.

..an awful lot of people have been inspired by race for life to get fitter..

Yeah I suppose there is that.

That probably does more for public health than any of the money it raises.

Just made some comment on my fb. First person to comment is some morbidly obese work colleague saying I’m missing the point

Houns – Member
Just made some comment on my fb. First person to comment is some morbidly obese work colleague saying I’m missing the point

what are you going to reply with – ‘shut it fatty’? 😀

I feel a bit the same way about folk looking for sponsorship because they are going to ride a bike 30 miles and acting as if it is some major undertaking and they are adventuring heroes.

Try being a bike shop – the number of people who think they’re the first to come up with the idea of cycling from John O-Groats to Land’s End, and want a free bike to do it…

There was a Race For Life in Northampton on Sunday. I think the women strolling round while smoking were probably missing the point.

I have to agree with the OP on this. 10km in 2 hours is not a race, it is hardly an amble.

My wife has done the Eindhoven one and the Rotterdam one in the last few weeks, Eindhoven 5k was won in 16:36 and the Rotterdam 10k in 36:19 – not much nattering or ambling going on IMO.

I’m doing a few rides this summer and aim to raise some money. the primary one is the RideLondon100 but as it’s actually not super-far (the challenge will come from sharing the road with 20,000 other cyclists) I am adding a couple of other long rides to my ‘challenge diary’ to make it more difficult and hopefully raise awareness.

I accept people’s views that it’s not necessarily that difficult and won’t be peeved if you don’t want to donate.
What I don’t agree with is where some of the money you’re raising goes towards travel, accommodation and other expenses – I don’t want to pay for someone’s holiday.

this ‘race for life’ is just an opportunity for a load of women to get dressed in pink, walk round a park and have a natter?!

So? Does it raise money or not?

Eindhoven 5k was won in 16:36

Fark….

I did LeJog a couple of years ago for/with Marie Curie. It was just over £2k to participate. Apparently, around half of that goes on accommodation, food, support etc. I opted to pay the whole lot out of my own pocket and then anyone who “sponsored” me knew it was all going to the charity in question. It could be argued (with some validity) that I could have done it a lot cheaper and given even more money to the charity. However, I might then not have done it at all. I think that’s how many of these events need to be judged – is the overall money and awareness raised by those taking part?

Someone just mentioned on fb that part of it is to raise awareness of cancer

Hmmm, struggle to think how we can be any more aware of it?!

Hmmm, struggle to think how we can be any more aware of it?!

Out of interest, how often do you self examine your testicles?

Out of interest, how often do you self examine your testicles?

I suspect that Houns does that every 10 minutes or so!

I’m checking them right now

It doesn’t count if you’re using your tongue.

Brakes, I may see you there on 4th August! I’m doing it as part of a team at work…25 miles isn’t a big deal but that isn’t the point for me…it’s about being there, taking part and hopefully raising a wee bit more money for a charity I believe in…to be honest, I’m not bothered what folk think…if they are kind enough to give some money to ‘my’ cause then it is all good…but likewise if they decide not to, I’m not going to get work up about it…

The charity aspect of it is secondary i.e. I wasn’t entering this to raise money, after we got in we were told we could use it to raise money for a charity if we wanted…so I did.

I’ve been a lead cyclist for my local Race For Life for a few years…fastest times have always been around 15 minutes and always won by a youngster…my wife now does the lead cyclist thing and she was in Falkirk at the weekend, looks like it was won by a 15 year old with second going to a 12 year old…I think both were around 20 minute mark.

Race For Life is about raising money for Cancer, most folk enter it for fun and being part of something and trying to help make a difference…nowt wrong with that in my view.

Rattle of a Pro 2 soon gets ’em moving!

I’m inclined to agree that if you’re asking for sponsor money it should be a challenge, and I’m a bit skeptical about scenarios of “While I am going to spend the day doing my favourite sport, please can you donate your money to a charity of my choice?”
Having said that, one of my friends did race for life soon after recovering from breast cancer, she had never raced before and trained up for it and it was obviously a challenge for her. She raised loads of sponsorship money.

I don’t particularly like the ones where they say ‘Give me £50 for charity, cos I’m going on holiday to somewhere exotic to do something fun’.

I’d be inclined to give more if they said ‘I was thinking of going to the Himalayas for the naked bungee climbing experience of a lifetime but if you give me enough money to charity I promise I’ll just go to Skegness and tweet about that instead’

I think that would be significantly harder for some people.

My Mrs did the Everest Base Camp trek last year (as a holiday) and lots of folk wanted to give her sponsorshipmoney, even though she’d no intention of collecting any. I think some folk are just suitably in awe of something outwith their own comfort zone that they feel they should do something.

FWIW she also did the West Highland Way and reckoned that was tougher so I’m not sure how we’d ever reach an agreement on sponsorship amount vs. relative challenge.

What gets me is when I walk into Durham and I see these ladies holding a map of Africa trying to sell you a crap magazine to fund their trip to be a volunteer. Yes it’s a great opportunity but why should we fund your trip of a lifetime? About challenges raising awareness yes we are aware of cancer but do you know of the different types out there. Everyone is aware of Breast cancer because of the race for life and also its so well publicised and leukaemia from Ian botham walking the length of Britain but what about the lesser known ones? I never knew about neuroblastoma until my daughter got it and last month a team of us did the 7stanes in a weekend to raise money and awareness to some people in that team it really was a challenge as some had never ridden that far before. It’s like doing the great north run its been done before but everyone doing it has their own story and its an amazing atmosphere

My wife is dying from cancer, every little bit will help.

Candodavid so sorry about your wife sending you all hugs cancer is a bitch and I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy

Whatever is being done to raise awareness of cancer is obviously working and that’s great. However, there are other very worthy causes that don’t seem to attract the same funding. Take Alzheimer’s for example. Charities for other conditions need to follow the example of Cancer Research UK.

The Race for Life events raise money for Cancer research UK. Surely, that’s all that matters? In an ideal world all the research would be government (or world bank?) funded, but that’s not going to happen. I was working at the Darlington RFL on Sunday as it happens (Our company supply variable message boards to CRUK for some of their events) and it’s easy to sneer at some of the participants. But I don’t. Honest.

One thing always strikes me about the runs, though, the food stalls sell mainly bacon butties and chips. Plenty of the runners seem to take on a bit of fuel beforehand ……….

Charities for other conditions need to follow the example of Cancer Research UK.

Imagine the bitching and whining on here then?!? 🙄

The wife flatly refuses to do it. My mum had cancer and most recently one of her close friends died at the age of 41. Her reasoning is not all the money goes to the charity and a lot of people only do it once they’ve been affected in some way by cancer, so always questions why these people haven’t been raising money before now. Fwiw the wife’s doing her second 10k in two months and every bit she raises will go to a hospice for terminally ill cancer sufferers.

Me! if you’re asking me to put my hand in my wallet.

Donations are not compulsory.