VLM advice

Hey,

I need some help, after 2 years of rejections i finally got a ballot place. The advice i need is, and i apologise if i sound stooopid BUT,

can i run with a charity still, and if i do, do i have to raise a target. I'd like to raise money for a charity and also benefit from the training and help they give you but i dont think id manage the targets they want you to raise.

Failing that, i'd rather run for a small local charity.

Thanks in advance

if you have your place already, through the ballot, then it's your choice whether to run for a charity or not, and they will be happy with whatever you can raise for them.

Choose a charity if you want to, and contact them and ask them.

I would have thought they'd be most happy to have whatever you can raise for them.  And if they try to give you a target, you can always say no - and find a different charity!

In your "congratulations" magazine there's a load of charity adverts asking if you'll still run for them even though you were successful in the ballot. You should be able to find one that means something to you, and the contact details will be in the advert.

The charities l know will fall ovet themselves to have ballot place runners elect to run for them. l ran for sense last year and they didn't set me a minimum amount, and they treated me the same as any of their charity place runners.

It's a great thing to do and l remember thinking a lot about it during training. Not to be over dramatic but it did make me think my efforts were going to make a difference to those less fortunate.

Whatever you decide to do -- hope you enjoy the whole experience

I too had a ballot place in 2009 and ran for a charity,they were glad to have me onboard and i had a great reception at their venue area near the finish.There was no mention of amount raised they were just glad to have my help

I ran for a charity last year through a ballot place (Breakthrough Breast Cancer) and I didn't have a minimum but got treated like all the other Breakthrough runners - running vest, training programme, after run party etc.

Because they don't have to pay for your place (at least £300, or it was a couple of years ago), they don't need to set a minimum.