If nothing else, running for a cause

The first 5K I ever ran (or rather crawled) was an accident. I had one of those friends who would casually say, “Hey, I’ve got this thing on Sunday morning. Want to come along then go to brunch?” It was the suggestion of mimosas that usually suckered me into something.

So one day I was standing at a starting line with a few hundred people wearing the same shirt. Which taught me the first lesson in 5K racing: You don’t actually have to cross the finish line to earn the right to wear your shirt.

There’s something innocent about the sound of a 5K. If you pair that with “it’s for a good cause,” then you just think your morning stroll is going to cure cancer. Try to remember that when you’re sucking wind at the 3K mark.

When the gun went off that morning, a few unexpected things happened; chief among them was that I actually ran. (Those were my smoking and doughnut years, after all.) The other thing I noticed was that people were out there with a purpose.

There were children and grandparents. There were groups of friends representing a loved one. There were recovered people, people still in the battle, and people who were going to lose it. Despite our different walks of life, we were going to share this brief walk together and it made the common struggles of those affected more tangible. It made friends out of strangers.

It also made a runner out of me, rather unexpectedly. The pastries and cigarettes became a thing of the past. And since then, I’ve signed up (and hoodwinked a few friends) to dozens of benefit runs and walks.

Now I bring my daughter along as well because she’s all about free t-shirts and race packets. In July, we’ll be running the Jacey’s Race in Sandpoint ( www.jaceys-race.com) to benefit children affected by complicated disease. It’s one of my favorites because the children and their families become rather rock stars at the event and the outpouring of support is overwhelming. You get to see the positive effect your sweat just brought. And your problems suddenly get put into perspective.

The beauty of these fundraiser events is that you really don’t have to be a runner. You can push your kid in a stroller, gab with a gaggle of your friends, or take your mom along. You can carry your latte. Or you can try to land on the podium because the chances are higher with the rest of us in back having a tea party.

Fundraiser 5Ks are so popular now, you can almost pick any obscure disease or cause and find a way to walk in support of it. I try to choose ones with causes I can actually pronounce.

So this summer, have a look at the local race calendar, promise some friends brunch, and sign up for something. Who knows, maybe supporting a good cause in a 5K will be your gateway to a healthier life. In the very least, you’ll meet a lot of amazing people. And get a t-shirt.