Running for a Cause
I started running in 2014. I started out with 5ks mostly and moved into 10ks after a year. I remember my first 10k, I saw the first half marathoner racing to the finish line- they looked flawless, like running was the easiest thing in the world. As I slogged on, 3 miles left in a race half that distance, I thought I would never be able to run further than 6.2 miles.
Fast forward to 2016. An area director for Team World Vision came to my church to pitch running for clean water in Africa. I was a runner and already had been donating to World Vision, so I thought the pitch would be easy for me. The catch? The race was a marathon. “No, no, no, count me out. That sounds stupid.” Looking back, I can’t believe I actually said running a marathon was stupid. But I did.
When I learned about the need, I immediately went home and signed up for my first marathon. 2016 was transformative for me. I met so many runners for the same mission. Like me, they didn’t run fast, they didn’t necessarily like running, but we were all out there for the same cause.
During group runs, we share our stories. We bonded and created lasting friendships. Marathon running no longer felt daunting because I had a huge charity team next to me.
Race day arrived and as we gathered together, all in our orange jerseys, I knew I was a marathoner. I knew this was something I wanted to continue to do- to run marathons with my charity team.
After going to Africa just two weeks later to see water projects in Uganda, my love for Team World Vision was sealed. I continued to sign up for marathons in 2017, 2018, and 2019. In 2020, I was pregnant with my twins, but after they were born, I signed up for my next marathon. I was excited to race again after pregnancy and the pandemic!
Then came the little rift in my plan- I was diagnosed with breast cancer. The people who showed up first and most often? My charity friends. The same people I trained with since 2016. The ones I started marathons and finished marathons with. They did everything from helping with child care, driving me to chemo and sitting with me, encouraging me as I continue to train for a marathon and in the hospital with me when I was diagnosed with a pulmonary embolism and found out I would not be running a marathon.
On race morning in 2021, I got myself out of bed and went to the marathon course- I was a spectator for the first time. I got to cheer my teammates on as they approached mile 23. I got to give high fives and hugs. My mom also ran her first marathon with our charity that year and I got to “run” her to the finish line. I was so proud that running for a charity had turned her into a marathoner too!
Team World Vision provides a “red carpet experience” when you finish a marathon. That year I walked my mom to the tent and felt bursting pride as our leader congratulated her. I tried to sneak into the tent when they stopped me and made sure to recognize how hard I had worked that year, despite not making it to the finish line. This charity meant so much more than the good we did around the world in that moment.
In 2022, I made my come back. A friend I had gone to Africa with decided to run with me. It was a blessing because he made sure I made it to the finish line- a victory line just 10 months being cancer free. I celebrated the long journey! 6 marathons and over $60k funds (now close to $85k) raised for clean water since 2016.
While running for charity doesn’t make running easier, it does make it more impactful. The mission and the people have changed my life in ways I could never have imagined when I first started running. I am forever grateful that I continue to run marathons for charity.
By: Amy Lippert Hoffmann