Walkathon
Encyclopedia
A walkathon walking marathon or sponsored walk is a type of community or school fundraiser
Fundraiser
A fundraiser is an event or campaign whose primary purpose is to raise money for a cause. See also: fundraising. A fundraiser can also be an individual or company whose primary job is to raise money for a specific charity or non-profit organization...

 in which participants raise money by collecting donations or pledges for walking
Walking
Walking is one of the main gaits of locomotion among legged animals, and is typically slower than running and other gaits. Walking is defined by an 'inverted pendulum' gait in which the body vaults over the stiff limb or limbs with each step...

 a predetermined distance or course. They are similar in format to other physical activity based fundraising events such as marathons and cycling
Cycling
Cycling, also called bicycling or biking, is the use of bicycles for transport, recreation, or for sport. Persons engaged in cycling are cyclists or bicyclists...

 races, but are usually non-competitive and lower intensity. The low intensity model is ideal for mobilizing broad-based community support for, and as a result Walkathons usually target participants from a wide range of ages and economic backgrounds.

Walkathons are popular fundraisers for issues that affect large sections of the population. Most commonly, Walkathons focus on fighting or curing pervasive diseases or ailments such as AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...

, Cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...

, Diabetes, Lupus
Systemic lupus erythematosus
Systemic lupus erythematosus , often abbreviated to SLE or lupus, is a systemic autoimmune disease that can affect any part of the body. As occurs in other autoimmune diseases, the immune system attacks the body's cells and tissue, resulting in inflammation and tissue damage...

, and Arthritis
Arthritis
Arthritis is a form of joint disorder that involves inflammation of one or more joints....

, and participation is also often promoted as a symbol of empowerment, remembrance, or awareness of sufferers and their relations.

Walkathons are also popular for elementary schools because they allow the children to make a visible contribution to their school, they build community, are fun, encourage healthy exercise, and can be very lucrative.

History

The first known walkathon was held in San Juan
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...

, Puerto Rico in 1953 by the most famous and influential actor/comedian in the history of Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...

, Ramón Rivero
Ramón Rivero (Diplo)
Ramón Rivero — known as Diplo — was a comedian, actor, composer and a pioneer in Puerto Rico's television and cinema industries...

, better known as Diplo. He walked 80 miles (from the capital city of San Juan to Ponce
Ponce, Puerto Rico
Ponce is both a city and a municipality in the southern part of Puerto Rico. The city is the seat of the municipal government.The city of Ponce, the fourth most populated in Puerto Rico, and the most populated outside of the San Juan metropolitan area, is named for Juan Ponce de León y Loayza, the...

, on the other side of the island, to raise money for the Liga Puertorriqueña Contra el Cáncer (the Puerto Rican League Against Cancer). In that wakathon, Ramón Rivero raised the equivalent of $85,000 in 4 days. The walkathon turned into a historical event that became part of the collective consciousness of Puerto Ricans all over the world, and has been copied several times since, including in 2009, when the "League," in memory of the first event, did a "Diplo Returns to San Juan" walkathon, raising almost $200,000.

In 1968, the first walkathon was held in the US sponsored by the American Freedom from Hunger Foundation. After receiving a national promo from Johnny Carson and Ed McMahon who were in the Twin Cities for a live performance of the "Tonight Show", the Minneapolis, Minnesota walkathon, called the "International Walk for Development", drew over 3,000 walkers to the 33-mile route through the streets of Minneapolis, Minnesota. The local organizers included to high school activists, Laurel Norton of St. Paul, Minnesota and Howard Freedland of Minneapolis, Minnesota who convinced Johnny Carson to promote the event and organized local churches and synagogues to support the walk.

Additional walks were held in Fargo, North Dakota and Moorhead, Minnesota, where 650 walkers finished the entire 33-mile route.

The walkathon organizers were Harvey Silver and a former priest named Jack Healey. On a stopover in England when returning from the Peace Corp they saw adults participating in sponsored walks to raise money for causes. Together with Bob Schumacher, who provided the public relations support, the first walkathons were held in the USA, primarily with children walking, rather than adults.

On 8 May 1971, the largest nationally coordinated walkathon to date saw over 150,000 American walkers on several dozen routes throughout the nation walk over 2 million miles, raising over $1.2m to fight hunger. These "Walks for Development" were coordinated by the American Freedom from Hunger Foundation. The largest 8 May walk was in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with an estimated 20,000 walkers on a 31-mile route. Other large marches that day were in Indianapolis, Eugene, and Philadelphia.

The concept immediately caught on with other groups, and many organizations soon adopted walkathons for fund raising.

Notable walkathons include:
  • Puerto Rican League Against Cancer
  • AIDS Walk
    AIDS Walk
    AIDS Walk is a walkathon fundraiser that raises money to combat the AIDS epidemic. The funds raised from AIDS Walks usually benefit a local AIDS service organization , which provide services and advocacy for local community residents who are infected with HIV...

  • Arthritis Walk
  • Breast Cancer 3Day
    Breast Cancer 3Day
    The Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure, frequently referred to as the 3-Day, is a 60-mile walk to raise funds and awareness to fight breast cancer...

  • MS Challenge Walk
    MS Challenge Walk
    The MS Challenge Walk is a walk-a-thon to raise money for multiple sclerosis, a chronic disease that affects the central nervous system. Multiple Challenge Walks are held throughout the year across the United States. Each walk is two to three days, from 30 to 50 miles, depending on the...

  • March for Babies
    March for Babies
    The March of Dimes's March for Babies, formerly WalkAmerica, began in 1970 as the first charitable walking event in the United States. The name was changed after the 2007 event....

  • Relay for Life
    Relay For Life
    Relay For Life is the main volunteer-driven cancer fundraising event of the American Cancer Society. Originating in the United States, the Relay For Life event has spread to 21 countries. Relay events are held in local communities, campus universities, military bases, and in cyberspace...

  • Walk and Rock

Etymology

The term walkathon dates to the 1930s where it was used as a euphemism for dance-athons, which were often frowned upon. It is a combination of the words walk
WALK
WALK may refer to:*WALK , a radio station licensed to East Patchogue, New York, United States*WALK-FM, a radio station licensed to Patchogue, New York, United States...

 and marathon
Marathon
The marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres , that is usually run as a road race...

.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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