Are Charity Walks and Races Worth the Effort? - SmartMoney.com

Are Charity Walks and Races Worth the Effort? - SmartMoney.com: "t was too late to turn back. Sigmon was caught up in the nation's most peculiar, if widely accepted, charitable exercise -- the athletic fund-raising event. Every year tens of millions of Americans ask friends to sponsor them in events ranging from 3-mile 'fun runs' to 100-mile bike treks. And while it's such a feel-good phenomenon that few pause to examine it, the once bush-league strategy has exploded into a high-profile funding source for some of the nation's biggest nonprofits. The largest such event -- the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life -- raised more than $400 million last year. Meanwhile, the ever-growing movement includes tens of thousands of tiny 'thons,' collecting for schools, hospitals and homeless shelters. As soon as the weather warms, the walkathoners take to the streets, proudly parading in their oversize T-shirts and ribbon pins."