Join World Run Day 2009

Runners around the globe are gearing up for the 11th Annual World Run Day on Sunday, November 8. More than 1,400 charity runners across the U.S. are already registered to partake in the event, which asks runners to celebrate the sport of running and donate to a local charity as best they can.

With assistance from the San Francisco Marathon organizers in California, passionate runners in Annapolis, Maryland, and small groups of runners in several other states, this year's World Run Day looks to be the biggest International Day for Running and the International Day for Charity to date. Find the World Run Day group near you.

This year, World Run Day offers multiple programs for individual runners, teams of 10 runners, and groups of 100 or more. The programs offer discounts for groups interested in hosting a turnkey charity fundraisers to help brand the event. Tools including numbered bibs, customizable flyers, and World Run Day logos can be downloaded online. Official event T-shirts can also be customized with sponsor logos appearing on the back of the shirt.

Celebrities have even jumped on board. Rock star Sting, a huge supporter of The Rainforest Foundation, has supported the event since 2003 as an excellent vehicle for supporting charitable causes worldwide.

To date, World Run Day has raised money for more than 1,000 charities in the United States alone. Runners love the event because it lets them decide where their donations go. Participants have an event T-shirt mailed to them and this year a calendar is available for anyone to post their home-made running event to support World Run Day.

Those wishing to participate can browse the www.runday.com for ideas, T-shirt orders, paper running bibs, posters and more to help prepare for the day.

Bill McDermott conceptualized the global event World Run Day in March 1999. An annual and unique one-day fundraiser, World Run Day benefits both local and international charities by celebrating running and charity. Runners register to run their favorite distance and pledge a donation to their favorite charity. Results are posted and then calculated for a worldwide total. It's uniquely structured for donations to benefit "any charity on the face of the earth" and is commonly referred to as "an International Day of Charity." In 2006, McDermott partnered with the United Nation's World Food Programme to help end child hunger with World Run Day. Nearly 100,000 hungry children were fed as a result of the event.

For more information, check out the World Run Day events near you, contact Bill McDermott at runday2009@yahoo.com or visit www.RunDay.com.