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What are the benefits of a fun run.

Fun runs are generally created to help raise money for worthy causes, such as schools or charities. As well as raising money for charity there are many physical and emotional benefits to participating in a fun run - physical health, mental health, fitness, weight loss, team building, laughter and social interaction. Below we talk in more detail about some of the benefits a fun run can bring.

Fun runs can raise money for a school or charity

Fun runs are a fantastic way to help raise money for a school or charitable organization. People love participating in fun runs so it is usually not too hard to find willing participants to sign up. Especially when you have a great fun run theme . You can raise money by asking people to donate, charging and entry fee, or requiring participants to find sponsors that will donate on your behalf. Some sponsors will donate $X amount of dollars for every lap of the course a competitor completes, this encourages the participant to run as many laps as possible to support the cause. 

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It's all about the fun.

As the name says, a Fun Run is all about the fun, so you don't have to worry about winning or losing or if you never ran before or even if you're fit enough, a fun run was created so people can have fun. They are not competing against each other, so they can just enjoy the run, meet new people, create cherished family memories, raise awareness for just causes and the most important thing; Have Fun!

Fun Runs are good for your health!

Like any other exercise, running has been proven to be very effective to improve your health, and a Fun run is no different. Whether you are running or walking, as long as you're moving, it'll help you increase your cardiovascular fitness and lose weight because it'll keep you active.

Fun Runs are also good for your mind!

Running, like any other exercise, benefits you by releasing endorphins in your body which makes you feel good and improves your mood. In a fun run there is often the added bonus of knowing it's for a good cause, like a charity or philanthropy event. It's been proven that when you help others it makes you feel better, so running a fun run is something selfless that makes you feel great!

Fun Runs are Motivational!

In a fun run you'll be running for a cause. Running for something greater than yourself and it's not only you out there so you're committing publicly to this cause. This is great motivation to push yourself to the end. It's a good first step when you're trying to improve your health, exercise and get moving. You'll see that if you're having troubles, many will try to help and motivate you. It's a good opportunity to find a long term "racing partner" to give and receive encouragement both to reach your goals. 

Fun Runs Promote Team Bonding

Unlike individual sports, a fun run helps you to connect with family, friends, workmates, like-minded-people and with your community. Get to know your neighbors and bond with them as you'll all be running, having fun and supporting the same cause. Some fun runs further encourage  team work by encouraging groups to sign up together as a team, and complete challenging obstacles that are difficult without support from friends or colleges.  

Planning a fun run for a school or charity? Check out these epic fun run ideas!

How to host an amazing mud run!?

Fun run ideas with slime

10 great fun run themes

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What do you think about our fun run benefits.

Let us know in the comments below what you think. Are there other fun run benefits we should have included in the list? 

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This is the ultimate list of fun summer camp games for kids, teenagers and adults. The best list of summer camp activity ideas that everyone will love. Click to discover outdoor games, indoor games, games for large or small groups, nighttime games and more.

Fun Youth Group Games - A Huge List of Hilarious Games 

The Best Youth Group Games! Let's make unforgettable memories at your next youth event. If you are a youth ministry leader, a camp counsellor, a church youth pastor or the coach of a youth sports team this list of youth group game ideas includes exciting ice breaker and team building games for kids.

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Home — Essay Samples — Life — Running — Narrative Essay About Running

Narrative Essay About Running

• Categories: Running

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Published: Mar 14, 2024

Words: 889 | Pages: 2 | 5 min read

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My Worst Best Marathon

When I arrived in Chicago for the 2021 marathon last week, I had every reason to believe I would beat my previous marathon time: a 3:29 at the 2020 Los Angeles Marathon that put me minutes under the Boston Marathon qualifying threshold. Qualifying for Boston is a big achievement for most runners, one I was proud of, and one I wanted to surpass. But it wasn't to be.

Eighteen months ago, I probably would have been too ashamed or embarrassed to write this story. But today, I'm surprised to find that not only do I want to, I feel proud to write it. The truth is, I've changed. I still want to chase big goals and push myself. But what happened Sunday during the 26.2 miles of the race made me better — even if it was my worst marathon time yet.

Running was not just a thing I did, it was a place I went. Somewhere I could be alone and let my thoughts unspool, or barely think at all.

When I started running more seriously five years ago, I instantly applied my Type A ambition to the endeavor. Running meant getting faster with every race. And for years, I did just that. Then, just a few short days after my running pinnacle at the LA Marathon, the city shut down. The pandemic took hold. I kept running, pulling up my mask whenever I came within 12 feet of my neighbors, but I was adrift. Like so many of us, I was full of grief for all we had lost, and a wave of depression left me feeling physically sick. It was hard to wake up in the mornings. My stomach always hurt. I cried when I listened to the news, then felt guilty for the crashing waves of my emotions, knowing how privileged I was and how much worse so many other people had it. But I still ran. I needed to. Running was not just a thing I did, it was a place I went. Somewhere I could be alone and let my thoughts unspool, or barely think at all. On my early-pandemic runs, I would ruminate on the beauty of the jacaranda trees in my neighborhood, leaving behind the stress that awaited me when I returned home to my computer and my phone, taking deep breaths and feeling how precarious and wonderful it was to be able to do just that. Then, in the summer of 2020, I sprained my ankle. Badly. Being injured is always hard. This time it was harder.

It was a long road back to recovery from me, both physically and when it came to mental wellness. But I dedicated myself to focusing on both. Not to, I felt, would be to disrespect everyone who wasn't able to do just that. I had to get better, I thought, simply because I had the opportunity to do it. I started back slow. In June of this year, when Nike asked me if I wanted to train for another marathon , I knew I was ready. I started working with running coach Rebeka Stowe to get race-ready for Chicago. It was a joyful training cycle. The world was cautiously reopening, and people were gathering together again. I ran with Koreatown Run Club and alongside my good friend Sheena as she prepared for the LA Marathon. I felt my speed returning, my belief in my running ability and my athletic determination trickling back into my body and brain.

Then it was race day. It wasn't long after I crossed the start line in Chicago that I realized I didn't feel right. I pride myself on my steel will, my ability to push through discomfort, and my dedication. I mean, marathons are supposed to be hard. But it also became clear that not only would reaching my goal time be nearly impossible after my rocky start, but to do it would require sacrificing something I didn't want to give: the joy of the run, the first of the American major marathons to take place since the pandemic began.

By mile eight, I knew that strange, elusive alchemy that creates the ideal race had not come together for me that day. And I changed my goal. As I looked around me at the tens of thousands of people running, I decided to let awe wash over me. All of us had survived, and here we were, back together, trying to do this impossible-seeming thing. Wow. How lucky was I to be sharing the asphalt with other runners again? To be able to be in my body, to smile, to laugh at the corny marathon signs people hoisted at us from the sidewalks? So lucky. My new focus was to lean into that feeling of elation, of gratitude, and turn my race into a fun run. To be honest, most of the miles were still not that fun. I've lucked out in my running career; even in my previous marathons, I didn't really struggle. Of course, those races were extremely hard, but I felt good — if challenged — throughout. This was different. My guts were twisted. My mouth felt made of cotton. It simply was not in me. Did I make some rookie mistakes that contributed to that? Yes. Did some things completely out of my control impact my performance? Yes. But do I feel the need to go into detail, make excuses, or offer to anyone an explanation? No.

The last year and a half has changed me. I'm still driven to push myself and accomplish more as an athlete, a writer, a person in the world. But as I gave myself the grace and understanding I needed during those long 26.2 miles in Chicago, I realized I'd grown. I'd come to learn that being kind to yourself doesn't always mean giving up on yourself. Being gentle with yourself doesn't always equal letting yourself off the hook. Sometimes it just means allowing yourself the grace you'd give anyone else in that moment. And that's hard. But I did it. And for that, I'm proud.

Don't doubt it: I'm still going to get that personal record. I know my Boston qualifying time was no fluke and I absolutely believe I can do it again. But I don't feel like I have to do it in order to prove something to myself or anyone else this time, to post my finish time on Strava and Instagram and impress some people, to feel like I've earned the label "fast." So, while my time in the Chicago Marathon wasn't an achievement for me, the race no doubt was. I've become a better athlete, a better person, and a better friend to myself. How could that not be a win?

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4 Things I Learned from my First 5 KM Fun Run

No matter what the distance is, the first run is said to be memorable for every runner. It is the race that marks the start of your journey as a runner and the one that will be your constant reminder of your humble beginning.

Here are the 4 things I learned from my First ever 5 km:

1. Don’t Come 5 Minutes Before Gun Start

If you have never joined any races before, it’s easy to assume that you can set foot at the event 5 or maybe 10 minutes before the gun start. And that was what I exactly did. “Why be early? I’m already wearing the race shirt so I just need to go straight to the starting line”, I thought.

If it’s your first time to run a race, you should know those race organizers are already there HOURS before gun start and they’re not being idle. They’ve probably lined up exciting activities for you to enjoy like Zumba and warm-up sessions several minutes before the race. There are also booths that you can check out before the race starts and even get the chance to meet other runners while waiting for the gun start. Aside from this, you might need to leave some of your things in the baggage counter and that can take a few minutes so.

This being said, it’s safe to come 30 minutes – 1 hour early before the gun start to give you enough time to do a proper warm up, enjoy the booths and activities set up by the organizers, and take some pics or videos for your Instagram stories!

2. Get Enough Sleep

Running on 0-4 hours of sleep on any given day is never a good idea. More so if it’s your race day! Oftentimes, the excitement and curiosity on how a first run gives newbie runners (and even experienced runners) a hard time to sleep the night before. We’re often too excited and/or too nervous to rest. But not getting enough sleep can affect your performance in the run. Personally, I felt more tired in the race compared to how I usually feel after running the same distance around UP.

3. Prepare for your Race Shots

One of the things runners look forward to during and after the race is getting that “running action shot”. With very good quality cameras and skilled photographers scattered on the running route, it seems quite easy to get the “perfect shot”… only it’s not.

After the run, I was so excited to look for my pic in the several albums uploaded because I saw how good the photographs of some runners are. But I ended up with only 1 picture out of 12 albums with around 400-600 pictures each! And it had to be a photo capturing my haggardness, unruly hair, and a not-so-flattering candid pose that shows just how relieved I was to see the finish line:

So I scanned the albums and observed what the common things were for those runners with good/ profile pic material pictures and it can be summarized by these three rules:

• Tame your hair
• Wear something unique or bright colored
• And know where the photographers are

It also wouldn’t hurt to think of a pose or two before you see the photographers.

4. Don’t chase after celebrities! Stick with your own pace.

I ran with Mond Guttierez and Bubbles Paraiso and they didn’t even know it!

You can add to my list of newbie mistakes the fact that I got so star struck with Mond Gutierrez and Bubbles Paraiso (they’re so fit! And tall! And good-looking!) to the point that I actually chased them even if I was late for the gun start. I kept a reasonable distance so I won’t look like a stalker but suffice to say that I paced myself with Mond and Bubbles even if I was already catching my breath in the last kilometer.

By the end of the race, I was smiling for finishing at what I think was a decent time (and getting free umbrellas from Michaela!) then but the moment I got home, I slept and woke up at 6 pm. I was wrecked. My feet and whole body were so sore until the next day. But because of this, I got my most important takeaway – To run at your own pace.

Fun runs are meant to be enjoyed and I did have a great time. I went home with a huge smile on my face, and a very nice finisher medal hanging on my neck. But I was lucky I only ran 5 km. With the mistakes that I did, I could have injured myself or caused blisters if I signed up for a 10 km or more. So to all new runners, make sure to physically and mentally prepare yourself for your run to get the most fun out of the experience!

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Move with Intention: How to Stay Fit in a Convenient World

thanks! will be running for the first time tomorrow at mcdo stripes run.

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Home » The DoJiggy Fundraising Blog » How to Organize a Killer Fun Run in 11 Steps

How to Organize a Killer Fun Run in 11 Steps

If you have been tasked with organizing a fun run fundraiser, prepare yourself for a big adventure. Planning and executing any peer-to-peer fundraising event is hard work. The good news is that when you invest sufficient preparation and dedication, a fun run can generate huge financial windfalls and build public awareness of your organization.

Unlock the secrets to orchestrating a successful and memorable fun run with our comprehensive guide below. Whether you’re a seasoned event planner or a novice fundraiser, these strategic steps are designed to propel your fun run to new heights. From leveraging a strong team of volunteers to optimizing participant engagement, we’ve curated a step-by-step roadmap to ensure your event raises funds and leaves a lasting impact.

What We’ll Cover

Establish a reliable planning team, find a great location for the fun run, consider the event timing, engage media and publicity for the fun run, recruit and motivate fun run participants, utilize a p2p website for crowdfunding events, recruit fun run volunteers, gather the necessary equipment for event day, seek fun run event sponsors, fun run clean-up, wrap up the fun run and evaluate your success, bonus: planning a virtual fun run.

Don’t try to go it alone! You’ll need a Fun Run planning committee to manage all of the event details.

Be sure your planning team includes committed individuals who will show up for the tasks at hand. For your event to be a success, you must be able to depend upon your Fun Run leadership and volunteers. It’s better to have fewer team members that will work hard than a large committee that is not very committed.

So get your team together and transform your Fun Run into an unforgettable experience for participants and a resounding success for your organization.

Several important factors must be considered when selecting the venue for your run.

Enlist the help of community officials. Not only can your city provide the necessary permits for your event, but it can also commit security and crowd control resources. It is also important to plan for sufficient parking spaces for spectators, volunteers, and runners at the start/finish line.

Schools have it made here – as school fun runs are usually held on the school grounds. Often, a local high school makes the ideal location to launch your runners for nonprofits, too, as well as a built-in volunteer base. Contact the school district for special permission and see if a Key Club or other service organization wants to get involved.

The outcome of your fun run fundraiser will depend in large part upon the publicity you can generate, so give your team enough time to promote the event. Most successful events start planning six months or more in advance.

Chances are your organization doesn’t have the resources to buy display ads in local newspapers and regional television news. Try to leverage your event timing by using outside sources with deeper pockets. For example, organize a fun run for heart health awareness around the American Heart Association’s activities in February for Heart Month. With such scheduling, half your publicity battle is already won by the national organization’s media buys and awareness efforts. Approach media with your request to tag or donut on a larger organization’s ads with information about your event. (A donut advertisement has a blank space in the middle where you can insert your event information.)

Once the date and location for your fun run fundraiser have been established, assign planning team members to oversee the following key facets of the event.

Promoting your event on social media channels and getting your supporters to promote it via their Social media networks is key to your success. Having a catchy theme for the fun run can help, as people like to share fun things.

Traditional media outlets are also in play. Write an informational press release and distribute it to all local media. (Keep these contact names in your database for next year’s event). Contact local papers, online calendars, radio, and TV stations. Don’t reinvent the wheel – check our examples to get you started. Remember also that the Federal Communications Commission requires radio and television stations to commit a percentage of their air time to free public service announcements. Be sure to inquire about those PSAs when you meet with local media reps.

Fun run flyers are always key to promoting your event at local cafes, coffee houses, and popular hangouts. Check with a local printer to see if you can get a deal on printing, then use team members to distribute flyers.

Recruiting and engaging your event participants to raise money is one of the most important pieces of your planning process. Again, school fun runs may seem to have it made as they have their student base – but engaging them is still hugely important.

Recognition and incentives are key. Give a small incentive for registering and offer rewards such as extra recess, one week of not wearing uniforms to school, movie night, or a pizza party to the top fundraising classrooms. Read more on awarding prizes for school fun runs and jog-a-thons .

Use your organization’s CRM to contact those who have donated or participated in previous fundraising events. Visit local sports stores to post flyers for your run. As you organize a fun run, collect email addresses from runners and volunteers anywhere you can find them. Once this information is entered into your database, you’ll have a great starting list for your fun run fundraiser.

Create a free account and see how we can help your organization smash your fundraising goals!

Peer-to-peer software is essential for Fun Runs and walkathon fundraisers . A P2P crowdfunding platform allows your organization to handle event registration, sponsorship promotion and sales, and donation management online. Each participant creates and manages their personalized fundraising page and invites friends and family to support your organization through secure, online donations to their page. This extends the reach of your fundraiser, and many organizations report raising two to three times more funds with the DoJiggy Crowdfunding system.

Another way fundraising websites help you raise more money is by encouraging competition between your runners and teams. Our websites include leaderboards, thermometers, and badges for the top fundraisers. When one classroom sees that another class in their grade level has raised more money, they will be motivated to get more donations for your school.

Volunteers are your organization’s lifeblood for this type of fundraiser. Those who don’t necessarily qualify as part of the golden 20% may still have time and skills to donate on race day. Tap them for less critical jobs like directing traffic and parking, collecting entry forms and donations the day of the event, or stuffing goodie bags.

Here are some key volunteer positions to fill for race day:

• Volunteer Coordinator –  This position is critical, so choose someone who can handle the pressure.
• Participant Check-in
• Safety and First Aid
• Lap counters or timers
• Food and water stations
• Equipment Manager

You will likely need a public address system, tables, chairs, and myriad other things that can be found at churches, schools, community centers, or for rent at event planning organizations. Somebody must locate, pick up, and return things like stopwatches and timing equipment borrowed or rented.

When obtaining the equipment and other necessary resources, always ask that they be donated or discounted in return for a mention on your printed materials and website. Sometimes, you have to pay, but it never hurts to ask for in-kind donations first.

Many local businesses will happily sponsor or participate in your fun run. Your title and other large sponsors can assist in covering a large portion of the event costs. Smaller sponsors can offer merchandise or gift certificates for door prizes or raffles. Keep careful track of even small donations so you can thank each sponsor when the event is over. Also, sponsors should be acknowledged on your event website and printed materials such as flyers and posters, and if possible, on bibs, banners, and t-shirts.

After the dust settles, there is still work to do.

This is the most often forgotten step; don’t imagine event clean-up will take care of itself. Always assign a committee to clean up after the event, including:

• Clean up along the course and at the start and finish line
• Returning equipment
• Accounting duties

A simple card or e-mail acknowledging the efforts of your volunteers, sponsors, and participants is your best insurance for help and participation in future events. A sincere thank-you is never wasted and always necessary.

The final evaluation of successes and failures once your event is complete is nearly as important as proper planning. This task goes far beyond determining how much money you raised with the fun run fundraiser, though be sure to figure this out! Utilizing good event planning software will help keep these books in line.

While the event is still fresh in your team’s memories, schedule a meeting to review the details. Decide together what worked and, more importantly, what did not. Write down your recommendations for future events and put the notes into next year’s planning committee file.

A successful Fun Run fundraising event begins and ends with careful planning. Invest time before the event for thorough and thoughtful planning, and leave plenty of time at the end for an honest evaluation of your event. This is, in effect, the pre-planning stage for next year’s Fun Run. With careful planning, you can develop a solid fundraising backbone to support your mission.

Many organizations have had success with virtual fun runs during COVID. Virtual fun runs can be held on a single day or over a longer period, providing many of the same benefits as traditional fun runs. Our fundraising platform can help with live streaming, Text to donate , and more features for online and mobile giving campaigns. Read more on planning a virtual run/walk event .

Raise funds faster with our free, donor-friendly fundraising platform

How to Organize a Walkathon

Learn to run successful walkathon fundraisers.

From creating a strong walk-a-thon committee to recruiting and motivating supporters, this free ebook includes pro tips on managing all the important event details.

Related Resources

About Lisa Bennett

Lisa is the Sales Director at DoJiggy. She joined DoJiggy in 2006 and loves her job. Prior to working with DoJiggy, she worked at several non-profits and managed special event fundraising.

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• School Fundraising

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Essay on Running

Students are often asked to write an essay on Running in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Running

The joy of running.

Running is a simple yet powerful activity that can bring both physical and mental benefits. It’s a universal exercise that anyone can do, anywhere, anytime.

Physical Benefits

Running helps to strengthen muscles, improve cardiovascular fitness, and maintain a healthy weight. Regular running can also boost your immune system and increase longevity.

Mental Benefits

Running can help reduce stress and improve mood. It releases endorphins, often known as ‘happy hormones’, which can make you feel more positive and energetic.

Running and Friendship

Running can also be a social activity. Joining a running club or participating in races can help you make new friends.

250 Words Essay on Running

The essence of running.

Running, often regarded as a simple physical activity, is a complex interplay of mind, body, and spirit. It is a universal language that transcends cultural and geographical boundaries, serving as a metaphor for life’s journey, filled with challenges, victories, and personal growth.

Running is an excellent cardiovascular exercise that strengthens the heart, reduces the risk of heart disease and diabetes, and helps maintain a healthy weight. It also improves bone health, reducing the risk of osteoporosis, and enhances muscular strength and endurance.

Mental and Emotional Impact

Beyond the physical, running has profound mental and emotional implications. It is known to release endorphins, often referred to as ‘runner’s high’, leading to improved mood and reduced stress levels. It also fosters mental resilience as runners learn to push through discomfort and fatigue, skills transferable to other life challenges.

Social and Environmental Connection

Running fosters a sense of community, with runners often forming close-knit groups. These communities provide support, motivation, and camaraderie, enriching the running experience. Running also deepens our connection with the environment as it often takes place outdoors, providing an opportunity to appreciate nature’s beauty.

In essence, running is more than just a form of exercise; it is a holistic activity that promotes physical health, mental resilience, emotional wellbeing, and social connection. It encourages us to push beyond our limits, to explore our potential, and to appreciate the world around us. The beauty of running lies not in the finish line, but in the journey itself.

500 Words Essay on Running

Running, a fundamental human activity, is a complex interaction between the mind and body. It is an exercise that transcends the physical realm, providing mental, emotional, and spiritual benefits. It is not merely a form of physical exercise; it is a metaphor for life, embodying resilience, endurance, and the pursuit of goals.

Running and Physical Health

Running and mental well-being.

Beyond the physical benefits, running has profound effects on mental health. It acts as a stress reliever, providing an outlet for pent-up emotions and frustrations. The release of endorphins during running induces a sense of euphoria, often referred to as the “runner’s high.” This mental state can help combat depression and anxiety, promoting a sense of calm and well-being.

Running as a Social Activity

Running can also serve as a social activity. Joining running clubs or participating in marathons fosters a sense of community and camaraderie. It encourages teamwork and cooperation, promoting mutual support and shared achievement. This social aspect of running can help individuals feel more connected and less isolated, enhancing their sense of belonging and social well-being.

Running as a Life Metaphor

Running and mindfulness.

Running fosters mindfulness, a state of active, open attention to the present. The rhythmic pattern of footfalls, the sensation of the wind against the skin, the rhythmic breathing – all these elements bring the runner into the present moment, away from the worries of the past or the future. This mindful state can promote mental clarity, emotional balance, and a deeper understanding of oneself.

The Future of Running

The future of running is promising, with advances in technology providing new avenues for enhancing running experiences. Innovations like wearables and running apps provide runners with detailed feedback on their performance, helping them optimize their runs. Virtual races and augmented reality apps are transforming the running landscape, making it more engaging and accessible.

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Introduction to School-Based Fun Runs

School fun runs serve as an exceptional method for fostering community engagement while raising funds for educational purposes. These events, ranging from color runs to walkathons, not only enhance school spirit but also actively involve students in fundraising efforts. This guide presents an all-encompassing approach to organizing a successful school fun run.

Table of Contents

Essential Strategies for Successful Fun Run Fundraising

Fundraising for a school fun run can be a demanding yet rewarding endeavor. Diverse strategies include soliciting donations from parents, organizing raffles, and hosting bake sales. This guide aims to assist you in determining the requisite funds for your event, exploring various fundraising avenues, and providing practical tips to ensure sufficient financial resources.

Key Factors Influencing Fun Run Budgets

The budget for your school fun run is shaped by numerous elements, such as:

• Required funding for the event;
• Participant count;
• Material costs, e.g., t-shirts;
• Nature of the event (walk vs. run);
• Venue location;
• Volunteer time commitment;
• Parental support and available funding sources;
• Additional event-associated expenses.

The Importance of School Fun Run Events

Fun runs offer a multifaceted approach to school fundraising. These events not only aid in generating funds but also foster community involvement, enhance student participation, improve academic performance, and bolster extracurricular activity engagement. They also elevate the school’s profile, strengthen teacher-student relationships, and garner more support from parents and the community.

Step-by-Step Planning for a School Fun Run

• Determining the Fundraising Goal : Assess the type of event and associated costs, including venue, promotional materials, refreshments, prizes, and advertising;
• Participant Estimation : Balance the expected number of participants to ensure a manageable, effective fundraise;
• Budgeting for Materials : Account for the costs of essential items like t-shirts, prizes, and refreshments;
• Selecting the Event Type : Decide between a fun run or a timed event, considering the organizational differences;
• Choosing the Location : Ensure a safe, accessible venue for the event;
• Volunteer Coordination : Gauge the required volunteer time and ensure adequate support;
• Encouraging Parental Involvement : Engage parents in both support and organization of the event.

Utilizing Technology in Fun Run Fundraising

Leverage event fundraising services and applications to streamline the management of pledges and donations. These tools facilitate the creation of personalized fundraising pages and integrate student participation effectively into the fundraising process.

Video Guide

In order to answer your questions in more detail, we have prepared a special video. Enjoy watching it!

Comparative Table: Traditional vs. Innovative School Fundraising Methods

Understanding the Distance: How Long is 3 Miles?

When planning a school fun run, one of the fundamental considerations is the distance of the run itself. Three miles, or approximately 4.83 kilometers, is a common distance for such events. It strikes a balance between being a manageable challenge for participants of various ages and fitness levels, while also being substantial enough to merit fundraising efforts.

Relevance of the 3-Mile Distance in School Fun Runs

• Suitability for Various Ages : A 3-mile run is long enough to be challenging yet achievable for a wide range of age groups, making it ideal for school events;
• Time Consideration : The average completion time for a 3-mile run varies, but it generally takes about 30 to 60 minutes. This duration is perfect for an event that fits into a school day or a morning activity;
• Training Opportunity : Preparing for a 3-mile run offers students a chance to engage in regular physical activity, fostering healthier lifestyles;
• Community Participation : The distance is also feasible for parents and community members to join, enhancing community involvement in the event.

Integrating the 3-Mile Run into the Fundraising Event

• Setting Goals : Encourage participants to set personal or team goals for the 3-mile run, creating a sense of accomplishment;
• Promoting Health and Fitness : Use the event to promote the importance of regular exercise and a healthy lifestyle among the school community;
• Fundraising per Mile : Consider fundraising strategies such as seeking pledges per mile completed, which directly ties the fundraising effort to the distance run.

Organizing a school fun run requires meticulous planning, community engagement, and strategic fundraising. By following this comprehensive guide, schools can successfully host a fun run that not only raises essential funds but also strengthens the school community.

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Running Fun: How to Love Running (Again or As a Beginner)

Avid runner. 10x marathons. Daily 10kms. Award-winning journalist when not moving ( about me )

Running is a fun activity enjoyed by millions of people worldwide. It is a great way to stay fit, relieve stress, and improve overall health. As a self-confessed running addict , I live for the joy and satisfaction that comes with completing a run, whether it’s a short awe run around the neighborhood or a challenge ultra.

However, we all know that feeling when motivation escapes us.

It could be driven by a long break. Returning after injury. Putting on weight. Or over-doing it.

It could hit for a day. A week. Or longer.

When running is no longer fun, it can also be difficult to complete longer distances, properly warm up and down, or even take that first step at all.

In this article we’ll explore how to avoid getting to that point, and ways to make running fun again if you do.

Key Takeaways – How to Make Running Fun Again

• There are many routes into running – for physical fitness, mental clarity or a new hobby
• You’re not limited to one terrain – there’s treadmill running, trail running, races, and road running
• Having a new goal can make running fun again – enter a half marathon or raise money for charity
• Running can be a solo or social activity – consider a running group or running buddy
• You could mix up your training schedule – alternate easy and hard running (otherwise known as “speed play”)
• Combine running with another activity – such as collecting litter (as a “ Plogger “)
• Try running at different times of day – I’m a big believer in the life-changing benefits of a morning run
• Spend some time thinking why running makes you happy – and do more of it

Related Reading: How to Rediscover Your Running Mojo

TABLE OF CONTENTS

New routes – easiest and most obvious running fun hack

Any gym goer will know how uninspiring the treadmill is. Running the same streets again and again can end up that way too. Thankfully, it doesn’t need to be that way…

Trail Running – Immersing Yourself in Nature

Trail running involves running on natural surfaces such as dirt, rocks, and grass. It is a great way to connect with nature and have more fun while running. Trail running can be more challenging than road running due to the uneven terrain and elevation changes. However, it can also be more rewarding as you get to experience beautiful scenery, heritage sites (e.g. Kirkham Priory walk route ) and wildlife.

I’ve long believed the daily currency of trail running to be awe. That is, the life-affirming sights and emotions that a good run gifts us. Moments of joy that stop us in our tracks to offer a glimpse of a meaning greater than ourselves. Now, what’s more fun than that!

Related reading: How to Start Trail Running

Road Running – Urban Jogging as a Home Tourist

Road running is where most of us begin – it can be done anywhere, anytime, and is a convenient way to stay active. But it can have plot twists too…

The hustle and bustle of city life. A feast for the eyes. The concentration of landmarks. People watching. Beautifully manicured parks. Stopping at a coffee shop. A fun way to explore your local neighborhood. Running fun around every corner.

It can be fun to return to road running after a long absence. On a personal note, urban jogging has helped me to fall back in love with my home town, a parallel universe before the tourists flock in.

Enter a Race – the Scarier or More Unusual the Better

Join a race that scares you or motivates you or has a sense of adventure to it, like an easy ultra in an amazing setting or your first marathon abroad. Examples, include the Castle Race Series (triathlons in iconic castles), Tough Mudder (mud runs and obstacle course), and It’s Grim Up North (ground-up destination race).

Or you could enter an old fashioned marathon or half-marathon. They are a great way to challenge yourself, focus, and push your limits. Training for a marathon requires dedication, discipline, and a well-planned training program. You’ll get a real buzz as you increase your mileage and learn more about your body by incorporating speed work and strength training into your routine.

💌 Inspiring Run Stories.. in Your Inbox

Join strava – new route inspiration and feedback.

Join Strava so you can see other people’s runs and discover new routes in your area.

With millions of athletes all over the world, Strava’s is the world’s biggest database of road and trail running routes. If it’s been run before, it’ll be on Strava.

The self-proclaimed “social network for athletes” is wonderfully gamified too, with lots of in-built kudos. I personally find the process of cheering people on and being cheered yourself to be a great motivator.

Plus, Strava collects a ton of data points, turning your phone into a sophisticated running coach. You can join challenges, track your progress, and deep dive into stats, such as average pace, elevation gain, heart rate, time splits, and any PBs picked up along the way.

Fun Runs – Dress Up and Let Loose

Fun runs are a great way to enjoy running with friends or family without the pressure of competition. These events are typically shorter distances, ranging from one to three miles. Participants often dress up in costumes and/or encounter obstacles such as inflatables or paint. Fun runs are perfect for beginners or those who are looking for a more relaxed atmosphere.

Check out my review of Marathon Du Malton , the UK’s tastiest fun run with food and booze stops!

Triathlons – Push Yourself on Three Fronts

Why is running so hard? Because you’ve become over-reliant on a single form of exercise.

Triathlons are a combination of swimming, biking, and running. These events can vary in distance, with the most common being the sprint distance, which consists of a 750-meter swim, a 20-kilometer bike ride, and a 5-kilometer run. Triathlons are a great way to challenge yourself and test your endurance. Some popular triathlons include Ironmans and the Escape from Alcatraz.

Overall, running events are a great way to stay motivated and challenge yourself. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced runner, there’s an event out there for you.

Parkrun – A Great Way to Start the Weekend

Truth be told, I was skeptical at first. Running the same loop with hundreds of strangers every week.

However, there’s something really special about parkrun . Maybe it’s the community spirit. The warm welcome. The variation in courses (historic landmarks, woodlands, parks, beaches, you name it). The familiar routine. The conversational pace. Not to mention, being free to enter!

Run to Get Somewhere – to Commute or Tick Off Your To-do List

Multitasking can take place when someone tries to perform two tasks simultaneously, switching from one task to another, or perform two or more tasks in rapid succession.

Now, apply that to running and you have a winning formula for successfully navigating a busy life. It also makes running fun, giving it an extra edge.

You could run to work. Run to the supermarket. Run to meet friends. Deliver birthday cards. The list is endless.

Doing Good on Your Run – Litter Collection or Volunteering

There’s a growing community of people who are getting fit while doing good.

I joined the movement about 5 years ago and am now a self-confessed “Plogger”, the name for someone who “plogs” or goes “plogging”. That is, combining jogs with collecting trash or litter.

Swedish marathoner Erik Ahlström coined the term “plogging” and started the trend in 2016, looking to combine his love of running with a way to help the planet. He began picking up other people’s litter in Stockholm to get our of a running rut, and others soon followed suit.

The now-global movement gained popularity via social media and organized plogging events, including on Earth Day and World Cleanup Day. Some 2,000,000 people are estimated to plog daily. It’s even been made an official word in the Oxford English Dictionary.

Vary Your Running Training For More Fun

Interval sessions.

Interval sessions are a great way to improve your running speed and endurance. These workouts involve alternating periods of high-intensity running with periods of rest or low-intensity running.

One popular interval workout is the “Tabata” protocol, which involves 20 seconds of all-out effort followed by 10 seconds of rest, repeated for a total of 8 rounds. Another effective interval workout is the “Fartlek” training, which involves alternating periods of running faster with periods of low-intensity strides.

Distance Running

Distance running is a great way to build endurance and improve your overall fitness level. To get the most out of your distance runs or marathon training, it’s important to gradually increase your mileage over time.

One effective way to do this is to follow the “10% rule,” which involves increasing your weekly mileage by no more than 10% each week. This will help prevent injury and ensure that you are able to continue to make progress over time.

Speed Training

Speed training involves working on your running mechanics and technique in order to improve your running speed and efficiency. This can include drills such as high knees, butt kicks, and skipping.

Another effective speed training technique is hill repeats, which involve running up and down a steep hill at a high intensity. This can help improve your leg strength and power, as well as your overall running speed.

Overall, incorporating a variety of different workouts into your running routine can help you improve your endurance, speed, and overall fitness level. By gradually increasing your mileage, incorporating interval sessions and speed training, and focusing on proper running mechanics, you can become a stronger and more efficient runner over time.

Ad Hoc Runs

There’s tiny windows when motivation strikes in every day. Have your running gear ready for a spur-of-the-moment runs. So, instead of fighting against your feelings, you’re simply ready to strike when the opportune moment strikes.

Switch between Active Recovery Exercises

Breaking up your runs with other types of physical fun can have huge benefits.

In addition to the mental lift, active recovery exercises can speed up recovery from intense exercise sessions or longer distances when tired muscles can experience delayed onset muscle soreness (or DOMS). This stiffness will otherwise often prove debilitating for a few days post-training. All it takes is a gentle jog at 30-60% of your maximum heart rate to loosen up and flush toxins from the body.

Examples of active recovery activities include walking, swimming, cycling, yoga or light cross train sessions.

Why Fly Solo? It’s Sometimes More Fun in Group Runs

Joining a running group or signing up to a running charity can be a great way to make running more fun and social. There are many benefits to running with others, including motivation, accountability, and the opportunity to meet new people who share your passion for running.

I have personally found that joining a running group has helped me stay motivated and on track with my running goals. It’s much easier to get out in the rain when you know there will be others waiting for you. Plus, it’s good to bounce questions off of others in the running club – be it about a recurring running problem, running form, or to assess your fitness levels.

There are many different types of running groups and communities out there, so it’s important to find one that fits your needs and preferences. Some groups are focused on training for races, while others are more social and casual. Some groups meet early in the morning, while others meet in the evenings or on weekends.

Running with Music and Podcasts

I find solo runs a great opportunity to play my favorite Spotify playlists or immerse myself in an audiobook. Both keep me entertained and motivated, and I enjoy the company on longer distance runs. If you’re more interested in podcasts, there are plenty of options out there as well. From true crime to comedy, there’s a podcast for every interest. I find that listening to podcasts can be a great way to pass the time during long runs. Just be sure to choose a podcast that won’t distfract you too much from your surroundings.

There’s also times when I need to run without music . In total silence.

Many runners find that ditching the tunes leads them to a newfound appreciation for exercise. Without music, you can fully absorb the beauty of nature, engage with fellow runners, and embrace the rhythm of your own body.

In short, if you running without music, try without. And vice versa. The change can help you embrace the present moment, tune into your technique, brainstorm on the go, and rediscover your motivation.

Adding More Structure to Your Running Training – Running Coaches & Training Plans

Hire a running coach or personal trainer.

For many people, hiring a running coach might seem out of reach. An expensive luxury for something that’s as simple as putting one foot in front of the other. Thanks to online running coaching apps expert advice has never been more accessible and affordable.

Hiring a good running coach will also do more than improve your running. Your tailored training schedule will come with guidance and coaching on how to eat healthier, recover faster, prepare for race day, achieve personal records, and improve your overall conditioning.

Read on: How much is a running coach?

Develop Your Own Run Training Plan

As an avid but free range runner, I have found that following a structured training plan helps to level up my times. A well-designed plan should include a mix of different types of runs, such as speed workouts, tempo runs, and long runs. It’s important to gradually increase the intensity and volume of your training to avoid injury and burnout.

When creating a training plan, I also like to set specific goals for each week and track my progress using an old fashioned paper and pen running log. This helps me stay accountable and motivated, and adjust my training if I’m not making the progress needed before a marathon or a big challenge run, such as the Hadrian’s Wall ultra .

Setting Goals and Visualizing Success

Setting goals is a key component of any successful training plan. I like to set both short-term and long-term goals to keep myself focused and invested. Short-term goals can be as simple as running a certain distance or time, while long-term goals might include achieving a personal record in a race.

When setting goals, remember to make them specific, measurable, and achievable. I also find it helpful to set deadlines for achieving my goals, as this gives me a sense of urgency and helps me stay on track. Don’t forget to celebrate the small wins along the way!

Consistency Like a Stoic Athlete

Consistency is one of the most important factors in improving your running performance.

Whatever you’re trying to accomplish, you could do worse than learn from Stoicism. Stoic athletes are experts in habit forming, which is about putting the reps in and seeing a task through.

In addition to regular training, it’s important to take care of your body by getting enough rest, eating a healthy diet, and staying hydrated. These factors can have a big impact on your performance and overall health.

Better Understand Your Daily Rhythm

Keep a running journal and log the unique set of circumstances that contribute to your best runs, such as the time of the day, weather, what you listen to, or the added bonus of a reward. Learn and repeat.

It also pays to understand your daily rhythm and where a long run might fit in. For example, all of us experience the day in three stages a peak, a trough, and a rebound. And about three-quarters of us experience it in that order.

Running fun can often be found when you go with the flow.

In conclusion: There’s Many Routes to Running Fun

If your motivation for running disappears, fear not. Help is on hand.

It could be in the shape of running clubs, different songs, a new pair of running shoes, conquering a long hill, alternating with another sport, a bespoke training plan, or simply new routes.

Take that first step and I promise you’ll never regret it.

The release of dopamine and serotonin will back me up. These feel-good chemicals flood your brain and body, creating the famous runner’s high that leaves you feeling energized and happy. It’s a great way to boost your mood and start your day off on the right foot.

As you run more frequently, your brain associates this physiological response with the activity, increasing your desire to run more often. So, get out there and reap rediscover why running is fun.

Dive Into Pool Bridge Farm – Wild Swimming Near York

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From Identity to Inspiration: A Reading List on Why We Run

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Running is a sport of contradiction. Finishing a marathon is at once extraordinary and unremarkable: Running 26.2 miles is an exceptional achievement, but it’s also one that 1.1 million people complete every year.

In running, themes of life and death coexist. On one hand, it’s a celebration of what the human body can do and achieve. Some events, like cancer charity runs, are associated with the will to survive. But at the other end, in the sport’s most extreme races like the 135-mile Badwater Ultramarathon in California’s Death Valley, participants teeter on the edge of mortality. The truth is, the marathon was born out of, quite literally, death.*

* The first marathoner , an Athenian man delivering news of a Greek victory after a battle, collapsed and died after finishing his journey.

Other contrasts abound. Sociological analyses of running culture also show how it can be egalitarian and unequal at once: Theoretically, running has no barrier to entry, and all you really need is a good pair of sneakers, but the socioeconomic and racial disparities in the world of competitive running are hard to ignore. The median household income of the Runner’s World print audience in 2022 was $120,050 (well above the 2021 national median of $70,784 ), implying that running is somehow associated with wealth. (A study on the meaning of running in American society looks at how running perpetuates ideals of capitalism and consumerism.) On the other hand, the simple act of jogging by yourself, in your own neighborhood, can be deadly for those less privileged; the most high-profile running stories in recent years haven’t been about heroes, but victims .

All of which is to say, running can be a complex subject, and essays and features about running fascinate me, especially after I became a runner myself.

The appeal of running isn’t always obvious to outsiders. Until I became a runner, I had been mystified why people would subject themselves to such a tedious kind of suffering. Masochists , I thought, whenever a group of runners passed by me in college.

But now the joke’s on me. I’m that guy running with a varicolored Dri-FIT running tank, six-inch lined running shorts, a Garmin feature-packed to conquer K2. My face is smeared with sunscreen, enough to trap dirt and insects that land on my face.

My transformation from an unbeliever to that friend who guilt-trips you to cheer for me on a Sunday morning happened two-plus years ago, thanks to — what else? — the pandemic. One fateful day in March 2020, after indoor gyms shut down, I decided to run across the Queensboro Bridge in Queens, New York. Back then, I didn’t have a smartphone, so I put my iPad mini in my polyester drawstring bag and ran across the bridge, listening to What We Talk About When We Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami. What started that day as a lockdown pastime evolved into something more, and thanks to Murakami, I’ve since added marathon entry fees as a line item in my annual expenses.

I’d like to think that all runners have experienced that moment when they cross over from “someone who runs” to a “runner.” The more you run, the more you experience moments of endorphin-induced glee. But one day you achieve escape velocity — and feel the euphoria of the “runner’s high.”

As the pieces below will show, runner’s high is not the only reason — nor is it the most meaningful one — writers run. If you’re Murakami, the reason can be as mundane as to stay fit after committing to a sedentary job. For other writers, it’s more complicated. The stories in this reading list highlight six writers’ insights on the act and art of running.

“The Running Novelist” (Haruki Murakami, The New Yorker , June 2008)

Longtime fans of the Murakami Cinematic Universe will find familiar elements here: baseball, jazz, understated prose, and non sequiturs. For a time, before Murakami became a novelist, he was the owner of a jazz club in Tokyo. In this piece, he describes how — and exactly when — he decided to write and how his early habits and commitments allowed him to do so prolifically for decades.

Running a jazz club required constant physical labor, but when Murakami started to spend more time at his desk, he started gaining weight. “This couldn’t be good for me,” he writes in a deadpan statement. “If I wanted to have a long life as a novelist, I needed to find a way to stay in shape.” Being metabolically challenged helped Murakami develop his work ethic.

Murakami drops writing advice while making parallel points about running. But the way he does it is frustratingly tantalizing — he’s not the one to share his tips openly à la Robert McKee. Murakami suggests that writing, like running, relies less on quick decision-making skills than patience and long contemplation: “Long-distance running suits my personality better, which may explain why I was able to incorporate it so smoothly into my daily life.” 

Murakami calls himself a no-talent — a colossal understatement — but readers who have encountered unreliable narrators in his novels know better: We shouldn’t be so naïve as to take his words at face value. 

Writers who are blessed with inborn talent can write easily, no matter what they do—or don’t do. Like water from a natural spring, the sentences just well up, and with little or no effort these writers can complete a work. Unfortunately, I don’t fall into that category. I have to pound away at a rock with a chisel and dig out a deep hole before I can locate the source of my creativity. Every time I begin a new novel, I have to dredge out another hole. But, as I’ve sustained this kind of life over many years, I’ve become quite efficient, both technically and physically, at opening those holes in the rock and locating new water veins.

Murakami doesn’t debunk the myth of an artistic genius but shows that with a sustainable routine, the genius can be prolific. If you’re reading for concrete advice on writing and a neat analogy comparing running to writing, you won’t find it here. Rather, we get something better: a portrait of the artist as a young runner.

“Why I Run: On Thoreau and the Pleasures of Not Quite Knowing Where You’re Going” (Rachel Richardson, Literary Hub , October 2022)

Don’t let the title fool you. Rachel Richardson has no unconditional praise for Thoreau; she politely defies him. In his essay “Walking,” Thoreau spoke to an audience of men as he opined on nature. To him, women were symbols — “for the splay of land on which such a free man saunters,” writes Richardson — rather than his target readers.

To read Thoreau’s essay in 2023 is to be startled by his problematic view of women and puritanical sense of “capital-N” Nature. He would not approve of the urban environment that Richardson describes while she runs: “I was born in a California he didn’t imagine, in a hospital in a town laid out with lawns and gardens.” Her piece is a bracing tonic against the writer’s anachronistic thoughts.

Richardson, like many other runners like me, was not always a runner: “How or why anyone would do this for pleasure was beyond my ability to fathom,” she thought when growing up. But in her 20s, she discovered running as a refreshingly guilt-free activity to do in a world that made her anxious. (People who started running during the pandemic, like me, might agree. Unlike going to the gym or participating in a team sport, which were risky at the time, running was easier to navigate and do on our own.)

Richardson writes that she never knows what her running route will be. But that uncertainty brings relief. Freedom. Inspiration. Running rewards runners with a sense of uncomplicated happiness and goodwill, which Richardson details in this delightful passage: 

When I run, I smile and people smile back. Kids wave at me and cyclists nod as they zoom by. Other runners raise a hand of hello or, my favorite, flash a big grin. Sometimes we’re wearing the same race shirt—me too!, I point. Sometimes they’re in a zone I can’t penetrate, with their earbuds and podcast or playlist keeping them company. I still smile, even when they don’t look up. Hey, we’re out here, doing this beautiful thing. When the endorphins start kicking in, around mile three, I love everybody, even the sourest-faced walker or most oblivious group of teenagers taking up the whole trail and dropping Doritos on the ground. Nice dog!, I shout when I see a dog happily panting at her runner’s side, or You’ve got this! to the struggling jogger stumbling to the end of his route. … I am an unrepentant dork when I run.

“To Run My Best Marathon at Age 44, I Had to Outrun My Past” (Nicholas Thompson, Wired , April 2020)

I have beef with running memoirs that try to overburden the sport with dramatic insights. Not because insights can’t be found in running, but because execution without sentimentality is no easy feat. Thompson’s essay — which deals with, among many things, family relationships, parental abuse and influence, sexuality, ambition, and mortality — is a clear-eyed piece that demonstrates what can be done in the hands of a dexterous editor and writer.

I’ve read this piece many times, and like a good novel, I’m drawn to different themes every time. In my most recent read, two ideas resonated: defining one’s identity separate from one’s parents’ and identifying with one’s masculinity without being poisoned by it. It’s an all-consuming narrative that spans four generations of men in Thompson’s family. 

As he would later tell me, running was the rare sport where you mostly competed against yourself. You could learn without having to lose. It was also something he hadn’t failed at in front of his father.

I sent an early version of this essay to my older sister, who saw something clearly that I hadn’t identified yet. “Running solved nothing for [Dad]. You’ve had a longer journey with it, and used it in ways that are much more productive. But I have this nagging sense that your story of needing to follow footsteps (the schools, the running) and needing so much not to follow footsteps (the overindulgence, the flameout, the irresponsibility and failure) are more complexly interwoven.

“To Invigorate Literary Mind, Start Moving Literary Feet” (Joyce Carol Oates, The New York Times , July 1999)

Whereas Murakami’s piece, detached from romanticism, was not a very effective sales pitch for running, Joyce Carol Oates’ ode to running may intrigue any writer who could use more literary imagination; she writes about running as a consciousness-expanding activity, allowing her to envision what she writes as a film or dream: “I’ve never thought of writing as the mere arrangement of words on the page but as the attempted embodiment of a vision: a complex of emotions, raw experience.” 

This piece was written more than 20 years ago. Oates, one of America’s most renowned storytellers, has published more than 70 books in her literary career. For her, running certainly seems to work.

The effort of memorable art is to evoke in the reader or spectator emotions appropriate to that effort. Running is a meditation; more practicably it allows me to scroll through, in my mind’s eye, the pages I’ve just written, proofreading for errors and improvements. My method is one of continuous revision. While writing a long novel, every day I loop back to earlier sections to rewrite, in order to maintain a consistent, fluid voice. When I write the final two or three chapters of a novel, I write them simultaneously with the rewriting of the opening, so that, ideally at least, the novel is like a river uniformly flowing, each passage concurrent with all the others.

Though I can’t claim the same level of inspiration, something similar happened when I first started running. During my daily runs, I experienced breakthroughs where I felt stuck: A connective sentence or a word I’d been looking for would pop into my head. On some days, this happened so often that I needed to stop every few minutes to record it on my phone, which disrupted my run. Eventually, I learned to run with a waterproof pocket notebook in my left hand and a retractable pen in my right.

“Running in the Age of Coronavirus” (Chris Ballard, Sports Illustrated , May 2020)

The May 2020 timing of this piece on Jim Fixx, the “father of recreational running,” was wonderfully apt for pandemic-inspired runners. It was as if Chris Ballard, a seasoned sports writer, was inducting new runners into the history of the sport. 

Ballard observed that more people started running during the pandemic, believing it “would in some way do them good, or make them feel better about themselves or the world, if even for a moment.” But the belief that running is good for your body and soul wasn’t always accepted wisdom but once an argument, even a radical and contrarian one. 

It may sound glib to say that “running saved my life.” But for Fixx, it really did. And, in a tragic irony, it also killed him. Fixx was one of the central figures of the running boom of the ’70s and whose book, The Complete Book of Running , became “the most lucrative nonfiction title ever published by Random House,” writes Ballard. It was a hit, and the media couldn’t get enough of him. As Ballard writes, “a fad had become a craze,” and for the first time in a year, 100,000 Americans finished a marathon. The book was noteworthy not just because it was an encyclopedia of running; it heralded a certain kind of running memoir, one in which an author details their salvation by running.

Ballard writes both a pocket history guide on how running became a major sport in America and a personal history of the man who made it possible. Although this story has been told many times, Ballard’s reporting is enriched by Fixx’s journals, to which his family offered access for the first time. 

After his death, the sports world changed profoundly. Running was no longer a craze, or a miracle cure. But neither did it die. Instead, it evolved. In 1977, 25,000 Americans finished marathons; By ’94, more than 300,000 did. In ’94, Oprah ran, and completed, her only marathon, spurring a boom among those who felt the feat previously unreachable. By the turn of the century, how you ran mattered as much as whether you did. Christopher McDougall’s Born to Run spurred thousands to tromp through the woods barefoot. Ultramarathons gained in popularity. Rock ’n’ roll marathon and fun run entered the lexicon. By 2011, women accounted for close to 60% of the finishers in half-marathons.

It’s not exactly a light read, so let me leave you with an irresistible detail: Fixx’s father was born a Fix but added a second x to his name. Why? He thought, “a person’s name ought to be a proper noun, not a verb.”

“What We Think About When We Run” (Kathryn Schulz, The New Yorker , November 2015)

I couldn’t think of a better piece to wrap up this reading list than a meta-essay about writing on running by Kathryn Schulz who is, after all, a master of meta-writing. ( Her piece about Oxford’s “A Very Short Introduction” series is a good example.)

What do runners think about when they run? In the first part of this two-part story, Schulz looks to scientific research and lays out the uninspiring results. She writes: “Like a fair number of psychological studies, this one confirmed the obvious while simultaneously missing it.” But she continues:

Of course runners think about their route, their pace, their pain, and their environment. But what of everything else that routinely surfaces in the mind during a run? The new girlfriend, the professional dilemma, the batteries you need to remember to buy for the smoke detector, what to get your mom for her birthday, the brilliance with which Daveed Diggs plays Thomas Jefferson (if you are listening to the soundtrack to “Hamilton”), the music, the moment (if you are listening to Eminem), the Walter Mitty meanderings into alternate lives: all of this is strangely missing from Samson’s study. The British author Alan Sillitoe got it right in his 1958 short story “The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner”: “They can spy on us all day to see if we’re … doing our ‘athletics,’ but they can’t make an X-ray of our guts to find out what we’re telling ourselves.”

Then, Schulz points out, with a knowing wit, the shortcomings of contemporary writing on running. Writing about running without schmaltz — like Murakami — is no easy feat, which makes it hard for people to find books that “address the mind of the runner in descriptive rather than inspirational or aspirational terms.” You could also argue that Christopher McDougall’s Born to Run , despite being enjoyable, reads like gonzo journalism. And some running memoirs that read like redemption memoirs, such as Robin Harvie’s The Lure of Long Distances , follow the same formula.

Later, Schulz champions Poverty Creek Journal , a book by literary-critic-cum-runner Thomas Gardner, as “the only one to uncover the literary possibilities inside the terse, repetitive, normally unimaginative genre of the running log.” After reading this piece, I read this strangely profound book — it’s a mix of literary criticism, running logs, and thoughts that range from complaints to grief.

When Schulz says running logs are “terse, repetitive, normally unimaginative,” she doesn’t intend it as a criticism. Running is, admittedly, an incredibly understimulating sport to watch, so much so that I suspect even the most avid runners probably don’t sit down to watch the Boston Marathon from beginning to the end. 

And here’s a pitfall of sports writing: There’s often too great a desire to imbue a grand meaning to the sport. “Life is a marathon,” goes the cliché. But the thing is, life is like a marathon. So writing about running becomes a balancing act, one in which — without sufficient craft and self-awareness — can be a challenge. But here, Schulz (and Gardner) masterfully explore the essence of running, in all its glory and tedium. A sport of contradiction indeed. 

Sheon Han is a writer and programmer based in Palo Alto, California. His work has appeared in The New Yorker , The Atlantic , The New York Times Magazine , Quanta Magazine , and elsewhere. You can read his work at sheon.tk .

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The 6 Benefits of Joining a Family Fun Run

Running is perhaps one of the easiest ways for the whole family to get into a healthy, active lifestyle. All it takes is a good pair of running shoes and a safe and conducive environment.

Thinking of taking the sport up a notch? Why not join a run that the whole family can enjoy? Running events like the MILO Marathon have several race categories that both you and your kids can handle (usually 3k and 5k for kids and 5k, 10, 21k and 42k for adults).

Here are 6 more reasons why you should join:

1. It's good for the body and the mind.

It goes without saying: running does wonders for the body by strengthening your bones and muscles, exercising your lungs, and boosting the immune system. Living an active lifestyle also makes one more mentally alert, which means kids who are active also tend to be active learners. It's a two-in-one workout that's perfect for the entire family.

2. It promotes family bonding.

Training and running for the marathon is a great way to instill togetherness and keep each other motivated. Add running to your roster of family bonding moments such as eating out, watching a movie, or going on a vacation. The more quality time spent with your family, the closer you become.

3. It teaches values.

Running will instill discipline, especially when training for a marathon. You'll have to wake up early in the morning and eat right to keep your body in shape. Training and running also teach hard work. By the time you and your children finish the race, you'll have taught them determination and perseverance—qualities that they can take beyond the finish line.

4. It allows you to meet new people.

Marathons gather like-minded people, so you're bound to meet families like yourselves who love to run and spend quality time with each other. Go to www.coachjimsaret.ph and sign up for the MILO A.P.E.X. to start training with other running families. You can exchange tips on how to stay in running shape or even train for the next marathon together!

5. It allows you to help those in need.

While most marathons seek to promote running as a sport, they also embrace an advocacy or sponsor a charity. This way, you are not only running for yourself, you're also helping someone else. Register for the MILO Marathon, and a portion of your fee will be used to help give shoes to underprivileged children through the "Help Give Shoes" advocacy. To date, "Help Give Shoes" has distributed over 50,000 pairs of running shoes to kids who used to walk and run barefoot.

6. It makes you part of something big.

There’s nothing like the proud feeling of being part of something bigger than you are. Now on its 39 th edition, the MILO Marathon is one of the grandest, most prestigious running events in the country and has been participated in by over 230,000 runners. Join the run and find out what makes the MILO Marathon one of the most anticipated family events of the year.

At the end of the day, what's important is how you and your family feel: healthy and fulfilled—just like true champions!

Find out how you can sign up for the MILO Marathon! For more details, visit www.milo.com.ph .

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How to Organize A Fun Run Fundraiser in 7 Steps

Fun runs are a reliable form of peer-to-peer fundraising that is sure to get your supporters and their families excited. Part of what makes fun runs so successful is their versatility. Your fundraiser can be adjusted to suit any age group, can include a wide variety of “fun” aspects to make it exciting, and can even be done in a hybrid format if necessary. Plus, fun runs are great fundraising ideas for a wide variety of organizations, from schools to community groups to sports teams, such as youth basketball teams .

In this guide, we’ll cover the basics of fun run fundraisers and how you can organize your own:

• 1. How Do Fun Run Fundraisers Work?
• 2. Software for Fun Run Fundraisers: What You Need to Know
• 3. How to Organize a Fun Run: 7 Steps

Fun runs are a great way to get your community involved in fundraising and utilize your supporters’ networks to maximize your funds. Let’s dive in!

How Do Fun Run Fundraisers Work?

Fun run fundraisers are easy to plan and set up with the right resources and team. Take the time to brainstorm with your team and get creative to give your participants the best experience possible.

1. The organizers plan the event

The organizers (in this case, you) have to decide when, where, and how they’re going to host this fun run fundraiser. The planning process can include decisions like:

• Deciding if it will be in-person or hybrid.
• Picking a date and time.
• Choosing a location, like a local park.
• Getting any authorization or permissions needed.
• Planning out the “fun” elements of your run.
• Advertising your fundraiser.

Once you have a plan in place for the logistics of your fundraiser, you can actually start getting supporters involved so that your event is a success.

2. Participants sign up and create donation pages

Once your fun run is planned out and your main fundraiser page is created, your participants can begin creating their own donation pages to share with their family and friends.

To create individual donation pages for your participants, you’ll need peer-to-peer software. This will make it easy for participants to set up their pages on their own and share them with friends and family before your event. Your participants’ friends and family can then pledge their support before the fun run.

3. Supporters pledge donations

Now that your participants have their own donation pages set up, they can get friends and family to pledge donations that correspond to the distance or time that they run for, or how many fun challenges they complete during the fun run.

Supporters will donate through your participants’ personal donation pages, supporting both their loved one who is participating in the run and your organization’s cause. Peer-to-peer fundraising is effective because of the personal connections it relies on to garner donations. Even people who may not be familiar with your cause are more likely to donate if a friend or family member is participating and soliciting donations. They might even become dedicated supporters down the road.

Software for Fun Run Fundraisers: What You Need to Know

The right peer-to-peer software can make a huge difference in how much work it takes to set up your fun run fundraiser. Ideally, you want it to be simple to set up, have the necessary customer support, and do all of this without breaking the bank. After all, peer-to-peer fundraisers like fun runs are meant to be a low-cost form of fundraising that is driven by community involvement and personal networks.

To help you pick the right software, we recommend you look for the following features:

• Affordability. A fun run shouldn’t break the bank! 99Pledges has no startup cost and no platform fee to make it affordable for you to start your own fundraiser. The only costs are standard credit card and PayPal fees of 3.49% plus 49 cents/transaction.
• Flexibility in payment methods. While most people have credit cards, some of your donors may still prefer to pay with a check or even cash. Flexible platforms will allow you to accept both online and physical donations.
• Individual donation pages. Allowing your supporters to create their own donation pages gets them more involved in the fundraising process as they reach out to their network to meet their fundraising goals.
• Easy setup. Even if your team is tech-savvy, not all of your supporters will be. Finding software that is easy to use makes it possible for any of your supporters to get involved with their own donation page.
• Reporting. At the end of your fundraiser, you want to know how you did! Reporting features allow you to gain insight into the success of your fundraiser beyond your monetary fundraising goal so that you can improve for next time.
• Good customer support. Whenever you invest in software, it’s crucial to make sure you’ll have the proper support you need in case something goes wrong.

How to Organize a Fun Run: 7 Steps

Despite the many potential participants and donors, organizing a fun run doesn’t have to be complicated. Especially with the right software to help you, it can be a breeze. If you’re ready to plan your own fun run fundraiser, follow these seven steps to get started:

1. Plan out your event

Before you can begin signing up participants and soliciting donations, you need to figure out the basics of your fun run.

Decide when and where you’re hosting it, make sure you have all the necessary permissions, and plan out the “fun” elements of your fun run. From color runs to bubble runs, there are a variety of ways to make your event exciting. Additionally, if you’re not already set up with peer-to-peer software like 99Pledges , picking out software to make your fundraiser possible will be a crucial part of the planning process.

2. Promote your event online

Create a strategic marketing campaign to help you get the word out to your community. Make sure to start sharing about the event online at least one month in advance to ensure you reach your audience and give them enough time to register.

Social media is a great way to get the word out. Choose popular social media platforms that your audience is already using. For a diverse social media marketing strategy, use platforms like these that feature different types of media:

• Instagram , which showcases images and infographics so you can highlight behind-the-scenes photos from your fun run or graphics that illustrate the event’s intended impact.
• TikTok , an app that features video content. Due to its innovative algorithm and fast-paced trend cycles, it is relatively easy to gain a following and create viral videos.
• Twitter or Threads , which prioritize short-form, written content. This is a great way to share quick updates about the event or connect with supporters through replies and retweets.

Keep in mind that your organization can also guide users to its platform via other online platforms like search engines. Search engine marketing, which refers to the practice of increasing your website’s ranking on search engine results pages via paid ads and content optimization, can help you land your campaign page in front of more eyes.

While you can boost rankings by creating educational content that addresses relevant keywords, search engines like Google also sell paid, top-of-page positions through Google Ads. Nonprofits and other tax-exempt organizations can apply to the Google Ad Grants program to receive $10,000 of Google Ad credits each month. Working with a  specialized Google Ad Grants agency  can help you determine whether you’re eligible, apply for the grant, and manage your ads.

3. Recruit participants

Once you’ve begun advertising your event, it’s time to start following up on any interest from your supporters. Make sure anyone interested in participating has all of the correct information, understands how the event will work, and knows what they will need to do as a participant.

Depending on the size of your event and the number of interested participants, it may be helpful to create a resources page or hand-out that will give them all of the necessary information. This type of resource ensures that you won’t have to have the same conversation over and over.

4. Make sure every participant gets a donation page

After talking with all of your prospective participants, you can begin finalizing who is still able to participate.

Using your peer-to-peer software, you can get participants started setting up their individual donation pages. With 99Pledges , your participants’ donation pages will automatically be set up, reducing the work for them and eliminating any troubleshooting and stress.

5. Share tips on getting donations with participants

Every participant’s individual donation page will be shareable, as will your main donation page. For maximum success, you should encourage your participants to share their donation page as widely as possible.

It’s a good idea to provide them with tips on engaging with their friends and family to secure pledges and donations.

6. Keep the energy high during your event

IIt’s finally the day of your event! Make sure all of your hard work pays off by ending on a high note.

Your staff that are helping run the event can be a big part of helping to keep the energy high by having positive attitudes, cheering on participants, and providing support when necessary. In addition to your staff, you should encourage all participants to bring friends and family to the event to cheer them on. Bringing signs, megaphones, and more can make the event much more exciting!

7. Don’t forget to thank your participants and donors!

Once your event is over and you’ve met (or even exceeded!) your fundraising goal, you should take the time to extend your thanks to all of your participants and donors.

Send a timely thank you to participants and encourage them to get involved again in the future. While you may not be able to thank every donor individually, you should still acknowledge all donors publicly.

A social media post after the event is a great way to do this. Additionally, it’s a good idea to ask your participants to thank all of their donors to make sure everyone feels appreciated.

Additional Resources

A fun run is a great way to bring your community together for a worthy cause. Because this fundraiser is so versatile, you can engage families, teens, and even seasoned runners. If you’re thinking about starting a fundraiser of your own, work with 99Pledges to streamline the process.

For more fundraising tips and ideas, check out our other helpful resources:

• 35+ Best School Fundraising Ideas to Raise More in 2022 : Explore more creative fundraising ideas that are suitable for schools.
• 30+ Simple (& Effective) Fundraising Ideas for Kids : Engage the kids in your community with these fundraising ideas that are sure to excite them.
• 20+ Amazing PTA Fundraising Ideas for Every Occasion : These ideas are perfect for a PTA fundraising campaign at your school.

165 Fun Essay Topics

Essay writing is a common way for instructors to assess students’ critical thinking, writing skills, and knowledge of a particular topic.

While writing an essay may not always be the most entertaining way to learn, it does help students become active learners who can construct well-supported arguments.

Many students often face various challenges when it comes to essay writing, but the truth is that essay writing can be a lot easier when choosing a fun essay topic to write about.

By choosing a fun essay topic that interests the students, writing assignments become more productive and less daunting.

Check out the four types of essays students can be assigned, along with a list of 165 fun essay topics to write about. By combining these helpful writing tips with the list of fun essay topics, students can easily create well-crafted essays.

The Four Types of Essay

Regardless of the assignment, essay formats can be categorized into four major types. Each type has its own unique purpose and structure. By understanding the structure, guidelines, and formatting of each essay type, students can be sure to ace each writing assignment.

Narrative Essay

The narrative essay is the most common type of essay students will encounter in their academic careers. A narrative essay tells a story and is often used to reflect on personal experiences.

The structure of a narrative essay typically includes an introduction, body, and conclusion. The introduction introduces the reader to the story while the body develops the story with necessary details. Finally, the ending wraps up the story and provides a final thought.

To write a solid narrative essay, students should start by introducing the characters and setting of the story. They should also include essential plot points that help develop the story. By providing readers with a clear understanding of the story, students can create an engaging experience for their readers.

Argumentative Essay

The argumentative essay is a typical assignment in many college courses, especially in fields such as history. An argumentative essay presents a claim and defends this claim from a variety of angles. Often, an argumentative essay will be supported by evidence or research that has been collected in advance.

The introductory paragraph of an argumentative essay should introduce the claim and provide a brief background to establish why this claim is necessary. The body of the argumentative essay includes evidence for both sides of the argument while allowing students to present their final argument that should be defended in the concluding paragraph.

The three types of arguments that can be included in an argumentative essay are affirmative, negative, and alternative. An affirmative argument supports the claim, while an opposing argument denies the claim. Finally, an alternative argument suggests a different solution to the problem.

To create a strong argumentative essay, students should use evidence from credible sources, develop their arguments logically, and use clear writing.

Expository Essay

An expository essay is often assigned for courses such as science and mathematics. Expository essays allow students to explore a particular topic in-depth through the use of facts, data, research, and examples.

To write an effective expository essay, students can organize their thoughts by first creating an outline with specific topics from which they will be able to gather information for each paragraph.

Students should include a thesis statement in the first paragraph that introduces the topic of the essay. The following paragraphs should explore the information researched, while the conclusion should summarize the main points.

To ensure accuracy and avoid plagiarism, students should use credible sources when gathering information for their expository essays.

Descriptive Essay

One of the most popular types of essays, the descriptive essay, allows students to describe a person, place, or thing in great detail. A descriptive essay paints a picture for the reader by using sensory details.

The structure of a descriptive essay typically includes an introduction, body, and conclusion. The introduction should consist of a brief description of the subject, while the body should provide detailed information about the topic. The conclusion should summarize the essay and solidify the main points.

To write an engaging descriptive essay, students should use sensory details, active verbs, and explicit language to create vivid images for their readers. By using these techniques, students will be able to turn their essays into striking and enjoyable writing pieces.

Overcoming the Challenges of Essay Writing

The challenges students face with any form of essay writing often cause trouble starting or finishing the essay. One way to overcome these challenges is to break the essay writing process down into smaller steps.

First, students should brainstorm ideas for their essay. Once they have a list of ideas, they can then decide on a topic.

Next, students should gather evidence and research to support their arguments. After that, students can outline their essay and write body paragraphs.

Finally, they can write the introduction and conclusion.

By breaking the essay writing process down into smaller steps, students can better focus on one task at a time and make the process less daunting. Additionally, this approach will help them to produce a high-quality essay that is well-organized and properly researched.

Any of these topics will provide students with a fun writing prompt that will keep them engaged with the assignment and allow the reader to understand the topic fully.

Fun Essay Topics for Narrative Essays

• The best time I ever had
• A party that went too far
• The best day of my life
• My favorite holiday
• Memories of my childhood
• My scariest experience
• When I got in trouble at school
• Why home is the best place to be
• My favorite tradition
• Ways to overcome a fear
• The importance of respect towards others
• My most embarrassing moment
• The most embarrassing thing my parents ever did in public
• A silly thing I did for attention
• How I learned Santa Claus wasn’t real
• My most embarrassing fashion moment
• Something I have secretly always wanted
• How I dance when nobody’s looking
• How I broke a bone
• When my parents embarrassed me as a teenager
• My best first kiss
• The worst thing that happened on Halloween
• A day that changed my life
• What I wished for on New Year’s Eve and what actually happened
• The most fun I’ve ever had with my friends
• Ways to escape from boredom

Fun Essay Topics for Argumentative Essays

• Why movie remakes are a bad idea
• The pros and cons of being bilingual
• How to make learning more fun
• The best way to break up with someone
• What is the best animal on the planet
• Why strawberry is the best ice cream flavor
• Why the customer is always right
• Is it ever okay to steal
• Can insults be a good thing for a personas self-esteem
• How to make the world a better place with active visualization
• How to feel good about yourself no matter what
• How teaching students with disabilities is more rewarding than teaching regular students
• The benefits of drug use for everyone
• How to make friends as an adult
• Why having a pet is better than having kids
• Why travel is the best way to learn
• Why life is better without school
• The benefits of a digital detox
• How to deal with difficult people
• The benefits of procrastination
• Why being lazy isn’t such a bad thing

Fun Essay Topics for Expository Essays

• How to make a perfect pizza
• How to make the perfect scrambled eggs
• How to make the perfect cup of coffee
• Why being yourself is the best thing you can do
• How to be happy every day
• The benefits of a positive attitude
• The importance of being organized
• What happiness really means
• Why giving back is important
• The benefits of getting enough sleep
• Why breaking the rules isn’t always a bad thing
• The importance of being punctual
• What I would change about the world
• How to be creative every day
• How to make life easier with planning ahead
• Ways to deal with everyday stress
• The problems with social media
• How to be a good listener
• How to make learning easier for everyone
• The importance of playing games
• Why every day should be game day
• Ways to relax your brain and body on a regular basis

Fun Essay Topics for Descriptive Essays

• My favorite place to go on a date
• A perfect day at the beach
• What it’s like to be a celebrity for a day
• The best party I ever went to
• What it’s like to sleep in my childhood bed again
• The most amazing concert I ever attended
• How it feels to stand in front of a cheering crowd
• The best family vacation I ever went to
• What it’s like to wake up in Paris
• My favorite season after summer
• What it’s like to see the Northern Lights
• My first kiss
• How it feels to hug someone you love for the first time
• How it felt when my pet died
• Why every pet should have a forever home
• The best day of my life so far
• What it’s like to have a dog for the first time
• How much I love being from [insert city here]
• Why every alcoholic drink should be on a pub crawl
• What it’s like to die in your dreams
• Where I go when I’m feeling sad
• The best prank I ever played on someone
• What it’s like to see your favorite band live in concert

Fun Essay Topics About Being a Teenager

• Why every teenager should get their own car
• Why popular girls aren’t always the best friends
• How to deal with bullies at school
• The pros and cons of being a freshman in high school
• How it feels to date someone older than you
• What I wish my life was like in high school
• How it feels to be home-schooled
• What I would do if I knew no one at school
• The best movies to watch on a Friday night with your friends
• Why you should never get in the car with someone who’s been drinking
• My worst teenage dating experience ever
• My worst breakup story
• Why every teenager should have a summer job
• What I love most about being a teenager
• The best and worst things about being a teenager
• How to survive your teenage years

Fun Essay Topics About Life

• What living your dream means to you
• If I could go back to any age, it would be…
• How to stay happy and positive every day
• What being successful really means to me
• The most important lesson I’ve learned in life
• Why I’m grateful for my struggles
• The best way to spend a weekend afternoon
• My favorite thing about life so far
• What I would do with an extra hour each day
• My favorite quote about life
• The best way to relax after a long day
• What I love most about my family
• What I love most about my friends
• My happiest memory from childhood
• How I’ve changed over the years
• What I hope to accomplish in the next ten years
• The meaning of life from my dog’s perspective

Fun Essay Topics About Science

• The best and worst things about science
• How to make a volcano in your kitchen
• The dangers of space travel
• What would happen if the Earth stopped spinning
• The future of genetic editing
• What it’s like to be a scientist
• The most exciting thing I learned in science class this year
• Why every kid should go to space camp
• What it’s like to live on Mars
• How life would be without gravity
• The best way to celebrate Earth Day every day of the year
• What it feels like in a tornado
• How to make your own solar system
• The best and worst things about space travel
• Ten amazing facts about the universe
• The most interesting thing I learned about biology this year
• Why science is important for everyone
• The future of the world, according to science

Fun Essay Topics About History

• Why every American should visit Europe
• Why traveling to another country is the best way to learn history
• My favorite historical figure ever
• How I would spend my time in Colonial America
• What I love most about Aztec history
• The most important lesson I’ve learned from World War II
• The pros and cons of living during the Renaissance
• How Alexander Graham Bell changed the world
• Why we should always question authority
• The meaning of life, according to history teachers
• What it’s like to live in Ancient Greece every day
• The best and worst parts about living in Ancient China
• The best story from Greek mythology I know by heart
• Why we should always respect our teachers
• The best way to celebrate Thanksgiving every day of the year
• The timeline of history from the perspective of my pet pigeon
• What it’s like to be a time traveler for 30 days

Fun Essay Topics About Pop Culture

• Why I won’t be watching the Oscars this year
• What’s the best movie on Netflix right now?
• The top 5 movies of all time
• My favorite scary movies ever made
• Why every millennial should watch old black and white movies

Enjoy writing your next essay with any of these 165 fun essay topics that are sure to get your creative juices flowing!

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