Mankato Marathon raises more than $24,000 for charity
Michael McShane
News Editor
Cardio was not the only thing making gains at this year’s Mankato Marathon!
Five charity organizations raised a cumulative $24,000 during the Mankato Marathon that went on last week. The two-day marathon, saw an attendance of 5,000 runners overall for the event.
Of the thousands of runners, there were a select few who ran as champion runners for select number of charities chosen for the marathon. Champion runners were able to gain entrance into the Mankato Marathon to run in the event for free to support the five charities.
The charities for the marathon included the Committee Against Domestic Abuse, Leisure Education for Exceptional People, the Mankato YMCA-STRIDE, Boys & Girls Club and Project for Teens.
Erin Wellman, who works for Mankato Family YMCA says she was astounded when she learned about how much YMCA had made in donations during the marathon. Each charity had four runners each running with YMCA’s runners raising $6,553.
“Each runner had set a goal of $1,000,” Wellman said. “It was a hope for many of them to exceed that.”
Project for Teens raised the most out of the charities with a total of $7,300 raised during the marathon.
Becky Brudwick, a champion runner for Project for Teens, spoke about why she both ran and supports her charity. She said, “I support Project for Teens because investing in our youth is an investment in our community.”
This was Mankato Marathon’s 10th year running and is considered a qualifier for runners to get into the prestigious Boston Marathon which takes place next April.
The Mankato Marathon catered to all age ranges and showed the Mankato community’s dedication to physical fitness but also to charitable organizations as well.
Next year’s Mankato Marathon will have completely different charities sending in their own champion runners hoping to beat this year’s impressive donation.
Header photo: A participant runs through the countryside during the 10th annual Mankato Marathon Saturday, Oct. 19, 2019 in Mankato, Minn. (Mansoor Ahmad/MSU Reporter)