The Chicago Marathon lottery opens today. And I will not be entering it.
Yes, you heard that correct… because I’m running it for Girls on The Run-Chicago as a SoleMate. I will be waiting for that entry code email mid-day like a teenage girl waiting by the phone for a boy (do they still do this? Kids these days…).
Why Girls on the Run? As a girl I was outrageously self-conscious. I was known for walking down the halls with my head looking at my feet (which looked like penguin feet). I aged faster than most of my peers, and hated that my body didn’t look like anyone elses. I was on diets starting in junior high (hello, Slim Fast), and remember crying on many occasions because I thought I was fat.
My dad coached track, by brother was a sprinter, and I hated running more than anything in the world. Wearing spandex is the last thing a girl who has big hips at age 10 wants to do, so I looked for every excuse I could to get out of running. Even in high school I got doctor’s notes to get out of running the mile as often as I could in gym class.
If I’d had a program like GOTR to help me feel better about my body, my struggles with friends, and all the other misery that comes with being a pre-teen girl, I probably wouldn’t have spent 20 years of my life dieting. It wouldn’t have taken a 5-year bad relationship to realize that it doesn’t take being physically beaten to be in an unhealthy relationship.
Who runs the world? Girls. That’s why. Helping girls love who they are, learn how to be confident, and learn how to build each other up rather than tear each other down. That’s why I’m running to raise money for Girls on the Run Chicago, and I could not be more proud to be a SoleMate.
Help me raise money! Donate to my CrowdRise page directly and help the 8,000 girls who are part of GOTR here in Chicagoland.
AND I’m also donating $10 from every BeachBody Challenge Pack sale between now and October to my fundraising page.
Join us! Want to run Chicago and give back to GOTR? Apply to be a SoleMate and run Chicago with me!
Who’s planning to run Chicago?
Have you ever fundraised for a race? I need tips, this is big!
Have you run Chicago before? Best part of the race?
RunStretchGo 
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You will be great! Great Cause, I’m cheering for you!
Chicago is great! Ran it last year. Best part is the start is so easy to get to if you stay downtown and the crowds along the race are amazing. Have fun and good luck on the fundraising.
What a great cause – look forward to following you. I entered the lottery yesterday – so we will see what happens. Kristina from Blog about Running is also fundraising for Chicago (PAWS), she’s hosting a Virtual 5K/10K as one way to fundraise.
So happy for you, Cyanne! What a great way to run and raise money for a great cause!
Ashley
I’m so excited for you! Can’t wait to follow your adventure 🙂
Karen @karenlovestorun
This is so perfect for you and I can’t wait to follow along with your training and fundraising journey. You are awesome!
Congrats! GOTR is an excellent program and I love what they are working towards!
I love that you’re going to run Chicago for such an incredible cause! Good luck with your training!
Good luck with Chicago!
Love that you are running for such a great organization!! I coached a girls running group at my middle school using the GOTR materials. So rewarding!