THE IDEA
My name is Brandon and I'm a runner. I live here in the Windy City and on October 9th, I'll be running the 2011 Chicago Marathon as a charity runner for The American Liver Foundation. To raise the $950 The ALF has asked each of its runners to generate, I am selling individual sponsorships for each and every one of my training runs to anyone willing to pony up.
Typically, the solution is to hit up friends and family for donations, but I have a few problems with this. 1, Peace of mind is a weak-ass reward for sending me cash and 2, The marathon is actually the easy part. The way I see it, not only should you get something for helping out, but you should also gain an appreciation for what it takes to add 26.2 notches to your belt.
HOW IT WORKS
I have devised an ambitious 10 week training schedule based loosely on one of Hal Higdon's famous regimes. I have spent the last few months peeling myself out of bed, fighting fatigue and ignoring common sense to complete 40+ runs, varying in length from 2-20 miles. These runs have been split by length into three categories. Short, medium and long runs.
In exchange for your chosen donation amount, you will be the official sponsor of that training run and have your choice of one of 3 signed-and-numbered race posters designed and printed by yours truly. Your poster will include the sponsor's name (you), the run number, distance ran and my average pace. The cost of sponsorship includes the shipment of your print anywhere in the continental United States and will come with a letter thanking you for your support to both The American Liver Foundation and myself. One lucky sponsor will also have the opportunity to sponsor the marathon itself and get the entire series.
Please check out my training schedule below. And help me help a great cause—The American Liver Foundation.
Print No. 1
TRAINING
This 11"x14" 3-color silkscreen print was inspired by the training itself. The true meat and potatoes of a marathon comes with the dedication needed to actual training. My 10 week "training schedule" would have been a joke had I not done a 1/2 marathon in April. You're typical looking at 14-18 weeks of pavement-pounding commitment to not embarrass yourself.
My Training Schedule | Sponsor a Run
Print No. 2
THE MARATHON
This print, same size as the last, is all about the marathon itself. Grinding it out, mile by mile with your own worst enemy. Did you know that they aren't even allowed to give you Aspirin? I suppose it's a liability, but it also blows when your knees feel more like handgrenades then funcitional anatomy. This print is dedicated to the 26.2 miles of hell on earth, enjoy.
My Training Schedule | Sponsor a Run
Print No. 3
FINISHING
Ah, finishing… It's what it all adds up to. There is nothing sexy about working a 12 hour day only to come home to a 10 miler. But crossing that finish line is one of the most rewarding feelings in the world, provided you didn't cut your training runs short, injure yourself and ate properly so your muscles never reach glycogen depletion. Regardless of how the race goes, I'll be damned if I'm not crossing that line to claim my raceday bananas and chocolate milk.
My Training Schedule | Sponsor a Run
A whole lotta runnin'
MY TRAINING SCHEDULE
Damn, it looks like a lot of work when you put it all in one place. Any way you slice this blister-pie, I suffered through each and every one of these, so thank you so much in advance for stopping in and throwing down. Remember, all proceeds go to The American Liver Foundation and your donation includes domestic shipping (add $3.00 for international) for your choice of one of the three hand-screened gems above. Also, Run 10.04 is the marathon itself and whosoever chooses to sponsor that run for $100 will get a complete set of all 3 prints. All orders will ship after I can get a little rest and pull these bad boys–let's say by October 19th?
HOW TO SPONSOR A TRAINING RUN:
- Sponsorship costs $30 for short runs of 2-5.9 miles, $40 for medium runs ranging from 6-9.9 miles and $50 for long runs of 10 or more miles.
- Find the run you would like to sponsor in the chart below and select "Sponsor this run".
- Checkout securely at Paypal.com and wait for your sponsorship package to arrive. You will need to request which print you would like in the comment section prior to checking out on Paypal's website.
See The Prints | Sponsor a Run
| 1.01 | 3.25 miles | 7:05 / mile | $30 | Rachel S |
| 1.02 | 6.35 miles | 7:28 / mile | $40 | John D |
| 1.03 | 3.25 miles | 6:56 / mile | $30 | Robert M |
| 1.04 | 6 miles | 7:28 / mile | $40 | Adam L |
| 1.05 | 10 miles | 7:44 / mile | $50 | Chris C |
| 2.01 | 4 miles | 7:28 / mile | $30 | Beth K |
| 2.02 | 8 miles | 7:20 / mile | $40 | Lauren O |
| 2.03 | 4 miles | 7:49 / mile | $30 | Josh M |
| 2.04 | 10 miles | 11:00 / mile | $50 | Sherry S |
| 3.01 | 3 miles | 7:01 / mile | $30 | Jessica K |
| 3.02 | 4 miles | 7:17 / mile | $30 | Charles K |
| 4.01 | 4 miles | 7:10 / mile | $30 | Kevin C |
| 4.02 | 3 miles | 6:59 / mile | $30 | Christi P |
| 4.03 | 5 miles | 7:58 / mile | $30 | Justin F |
| 4.04 | 6.3 miles | 7:46 / mile | $40 | Terin I |
| 4.05 | 5.35 miles | 7:31 / mile | $30 | Larry L |
| 4.06 | 6 miles | 7:28 / mile | $40 | Derek J |
| 5.01 | 5 miles | 8:14 / mile | $30 | Rob G |
| 5.02 | 4.5 miles | 8:04 / mile | $30 | Jerry M |
| 5.03 | 3.5 miles | 7:40 / mile | $30 | Jon M |
| 6.01 | 7 miles | 7:49 / mile | $40 | Beth A |
| 6.02 | 5 miles | 8:00 / mile | $30 | Jeffrey F |
| 6.03 | 8 miles | 7:48 / mile | $40 | Dana H |
| 6.04 | 10 miles | 7:51 / mile | $40 | Jason K |
| 6.05 | 20 miles | 8:35 / mile | $50 | Killian S |
| 7.01 | 5 miles | 6:54 / mile | $30 | Patrick M |
| 7.02 | 5 miles | 7:27 / mile | $30 | Jesse O |
| 7.03 | 5 miles | 7:39 / mile | $30 | Robert B |
| 7.04 | 6 miles | 7:46 / mile | $40 | Steve D |
| 7.05 | 11.25 miles | 8:27 / mile | $50 | Gary D |
| 8.01 | 5 miles | 7:36 / mile | $30 | Valerie J |
| 8.02 | 6 miles | 8:05 / mile | $40 | Rachel K |
| 8.03 | 5 miles | 7:03 / mile | $30 | Craig L |
| 8.04 | 5 miles | 7:33 / mile | $30 | Paul B |
| 8.05 | 18 miles | 7:39 / mile | $50 | Simon P |
| 9.01 | 4 miles | 8:00 / mile | $30 | Wanda M |
| 9.02 | 6 miles | 7:46 / mile | $40 | Jill B |
| 9.03 | 4 miles | 7:30 / mile | $30 | Scott P |
| 9.04 | 3 miles | 6:45 / mile | $30 | Robert G |
| 9.05 | 9 miles | 7:28 / mile | $40 | Alexa L |
| 10.01 | 3 miles | 8:12 / mile | $30 | Michael S |
| 10.02 | 4 miles | 7:53 / mile | $30 | Wanda M |
| 10.03 | 2 miles | 7:21 / mile | $30 | Joe M |
| 10.04 | 26.2 miles | 7:54 / mile | $100 | Leo K |
Oh hey
ABOUT ME
My name is Brandon and I live, work and love my life in Chicago, IL. I work at an ad agency with some of the most gifted and creative people anyone could be surrounded by. I take in the city at 27mph on my 1980 Yamaha moped and always seem to have my fingers in something new. I moved here this past Fall from Salt Lake City UT, which I also adore. Thank you so much for checking out my little project and supporting such a wonderful cause. Mad props to my homey RIch Black for hooking up the lines on these posters, thanks buddy.
