Marshall Ulrich

Masters athletes compete for charities and bring in big dollars.

ENDURANCE ATHLETE MARSHALL ULRICH ran more than 300 miles before the pain in his shins from tendinitis started to become a problem. His support team doctor told him he could be risking permanent damage if he continued with his goal of completing the Badwater Ultra course -- a 135-mile trek through Death Valley to Mt. Whitney, Calif. -- four times in a row.

The 56-year-old had 276 miles still to go. As Ulrich put it, recalling this record-book run in 2000, "I thought, If I do this for myself, I don't want to finish. But because there were others involved, it's important."

On the road for 10 days with just a few hours sleep, with stabbing pains in his legs with every step and through 120-degree desert sun and 30-mph hot winds, he continued. His thoughts were of starving children. It put his plight into perspective. He crossed the finish line, 535 miles behind him and $70,000 in fundraising pledges secured.

Charity fundraising from athletic events produces big money -- $1.64 billion in gross revenue last year, according to a study by the Run Walk Ride Council. More athletes, from 5k runners and triathletes to marathoners and ultra-athletes, hit the starting line knowing their success means not just a medal for their collection, but a nice donation to a worthy cause.

"When the going gets tough," said Lisa Smith-Batchen, "and trust me it does, I sit back and draw on, why am I doing this?" Like Ulrich, she is an elite ultramarathoner. She has completed two double Badwaters and has won the women's division of numerous other events, including the Marathon des Sables, a six-day, 150-mile race across the Sahara.

"I think about all the women and children that are less fortunate. I am drawn very close to them spiritually, and they guide me," she said from Tucson, Ariz.

Running with a purpose -- like Ulrich, to raise awareness and money for AIDS orphans -- is now for Smith-Batchen, 47, a necessity. "If I am not doing this, there is no meaning behind it to me any longer," she said.

The physical demands of running races of 100 miles or more are great. Smith-Batchen is known for completing a "Badwater Slam" -- four 100-mile races plus the 135-mile Badwater in a 10-week period. She is clear about the difficulties such events pose for her, but she puts them into perspective, leading to her drive for philanthropy.

"What I am doing in these races is putting myself in painful situations, due to pushing my body, mind, spirit and all that I am made of to the limits," she said. "This is a personal choice. I am in pain due to the challenge, and this pain will go away after I stop and rest. Those who I raise money for suffer each moment, each breath."

She and Ulrich have raised more than $500,000 for the Religious Teachers Filippini, an organization that specializes in aid to children orphaned by the AIDS epidemic in Africa. She introduced Ulrich to this group; she has been raising money for it for 20 years. She said her two young daughters already have caught her philanthropic spirit. "My husband, Jay, and I want our kids to be a part of most everything we do… We hope to teach them that being kind, doing good things, being a good person is the best way to live your life," Smith-Batchen said.

"Almost everyone I know at ultras raises money for all kinds of charities," said Jim Simone, an amateur ultra-athlete, who begin a 3,300-mile bike ride in May from Los Angeles to Boston to raise awareness and money for a domestic violence shelter in his hometown of Kankakee, Ill. His goal this year is to raise $25,000.

"I've run ultras for charities and I've run them just for myself," says Simone, 54, who has a Ph.D in psychology and works as a director of a substance abuse rehab center. "It's better to run for a charity. It makes a difference when you don't think you can't go on anymore." He has completed the Marathon des Sables and other ultras for charities. This is his third year raising money for the shelter.

Some athletes feel the need to help, whether the cause is publicized by a well-known foundation or by personal circumstance -- someone else's or their own. Ken Davis of Unionville, Ontario, completed a running event to help send a couple to China to adopt a child. He also raised about $10,000 the first time he did the 150-mile Marathon des Sables. It was the 58-year-old's single largest fundraiser. He donated it to the Canadian Cancer Society. The reason: His wife died of pancreatic cancer.

Sometimes athletes decide it's time to change the focus from a physical performance goal to a fundraising one. John Kellenyi is a 60-year-old runner from New Jersey who decided to "do some other good" after he realized he wasn't going to be setting any more personal bests. A veteran of the Boston Marathon, among others, he hooked up with the Team in Training Program, which benefits the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, after a friend introduced him to it. To date, he is the charity's top fundraiser. From six marathons and three half marathons, Kellenyi has raised more than $1 million. "I ask friends and family, my doctor and dentist, even the guy I buy bagels from (for donations)," said Kellenyi. His mailing list includes more than 400 people.

Since it formed in 1988, the Team in Training program has had more than 360,000 participants raise a total of $850 million to help fund blood cancer research, patient education and support, said Andrea Greif, public relations director for the LLS. Supplying the guidance of certified coaches and a training plan, the program helps casual athletes reach their athletic goals, usually the completion of a marathon. "Seventy-three percent of participants are women," Greif said.

Team in Training market research indicates that the reasons for its appeal include the social aspects of being part of a team, making new friends and raising money. Last year Team in Training participants brought in $125 million, a 9.7 percent increase from 2006.

For those who want an event outside of the usual running or biking arena, there's the Prostate Cancer Foundation's Athletes for a Cure. While a few traditional events, such as triathlons, are in the lineup, managing director Scott Zagarino has brought a new athletic forum to the fundraising world: gym workouts. "We have a very different event," Zagarino said.

Through the CrossFit Training Center chain affiliates, athletes who complete a particular set of exercises in the gym, supervised by staff, can score points on an event day held once a year. Known as CrossFitters, the participants succeed by completing a circuit of activities -- such as 20 push-ups, 10 free weight-lifting repetitions, 15 jumps onto a two-foot platform -- as many times as they are able within a certain time period. "The first year we raised $175,000," Zagarino said of the one-day event. "Last year it was $400,000."

The Susan G. Komen Foundation's Race for a Cure is at the other end of the spectrum -- it's a well-known classic event: the 5k. For runners and walkers, from coast to coast in most every major and secondary city, the Race for a Cure brought in $94.5 million last year, an increase of 27.1 percent from 2006. Although affiliates have hosted other events such as marathons or those involving biking, rowing or skiing, Sean Tuffnell, the foundation's communications manager, said that the 5k race "is so inclusive it would be difficult to find a national event as popular. It's so successful because it is something that literally everyone can be involved in."

Despite the recent slowdown in economic growth, charities for the most part are optimistic. Karen White, team manager of corporate sponsorship for the Komen Foundation, said: "We are projecting participation in the Race for the Cure series to hold steady in 2008 at 1.5 million runners/walkers. In our 26-year history we have been blessed with incredibly generous supporters whose passion for the cause is absolutely inspiring both in strong and challenging economic times." According to the Run Walk Ride Council, "dollars raised by people willing to exercise for a good cause grew 12.1 percent in 2007 and are expected to grow at a similar rate in 2008."

However, Charity Navigator, an independent group that evaluates the financial health of more than 5,300 American charities, doesn't see such a rosy future. Susan Miniutti, vice president of marketing, said they "predict a decline in giving in 2008 as compared to 2007. Groups that will probably struggle the most are ones that help those most impacted by the declining economy. That is, organizations such as food banks, homeless shelters and utility assistance charities. These nonprofits will see the demand for their services increase at the same time they see a decline in contributions."

Regardless of the economic forecast, you can bet many athletes will continue to push forward with their personal and charity-minded goals. Philanthropy now is part of their sport. In late May, Marshall Ulrich ran out of San Francisco to begin his run across the country with fellow-ultra runner Charlie Engle. When they reach New York City 47 days later, averaging 67 miles a day, it will be for the record books. But it will also be for the AIDS orphans, to fight the childhood obesity epidemic and raise awareness of clean water supplies.
 
Along the way, Ulrich will have a lot of time to come up with his next endurance challenge -- and what charities will benefit.

RUN FOR THEIR MONEY
A cross section of charities with sports-oriented fund raising.

LEUKEMIA AND LYMPHOMA'S TEAM IN TRAINING
www.teamintraining.org
SUSAN G. KOMEN FOUNDATION'S RACE FOR A CURE
www.komen.org
RELIGIOUS TEACHERS FILIPPINI
www.filippiniusa.org
PROSTATE CANCER FOUNDATION'S ATHLETES FOR A CURE
www.athletesforacure.org
FIRST GIVING FOR JIM SIMONE'S DOMESTIC
VIOLENCE SHELTER CHARITY
www.firstgiving.com/rideforshelter
CANADIAN CANCER SOCIETY
www.cancer.ca
CHARITY NAVIGATOR
www.charitynavigator.org
RUN WALK RIDE COUNCIL
www.runwalkride.com