Will Weidman says he was born to run and completed a 100-mile endurance run last summer.  He’s raised over $2,000 in support for Organs ‘R’ Us with his fundraising page.  How does he do it?  We were fortunate enough to catch Will out of his running shoes for a few moments and ask him.

• Why are you running?

I run for a lot of reasons. What first drew me to running was the challenge of it. It’s great to be able to do something you never thought was possible. When I first started running I set my sights on completing a marathon. Since then, I’ve continually challenged myself to see how far and how fast I can go. I also really love nature and getting outside every day. This is what has drawn me to do more trail running over the last few years. Running is also a great way to stay healthy, which is really important to me.

• Why are you fundraising?

After several years of running, I decided that I really wanted to use my running to do some good and help other people. I really enjoy racing, but I’ve come to realize that setting a PR or finishing a tough race isn’t really that important in comparison to helping raise money for great charities like Organs ‘R’ Us.

• What is your best training tip?

Train by doing what you enjoy most. This will make you a happier runner and will ultimately help you get out the door and train more frequently and consistently. I really like running on trails but am not a big fan of track workouts or tempo runs, so I do more long trail runs and less speedwork. I have a lot more fun this way, I’m less likely to get injured, and I’ve actually gotten a bit faster even with fewer fast workouts.

• What is your best fundraising tip?

I’m still pretty new to fundraising and have a lot to learn myself, but I found it has worked well to start fundraising early and send a few friendly reminders along the way. Lots of people want to help, but everyone has hectic lives and it may slip their mind at first.

• How did you hear about Firstgiving?

I came across Organs ‘R’ Us and decided I really wanted to help them out. Even though the race I was doing wasn’t one of their official races, they directed me to Firstgiving and we were able to get everything set up.

• How has Firstgiving helped you meet your fundraising goals?

It’s great to have such an easy way to set up a page that has all of your information. It is also very easy for people to contribute through Firstgiving, and making everything so simple definitely helps get more people involved.

We’re also impressed with Will’s training blog, where he posts regular updates on training and fundraising for his fans to see.  Go Will!

Did you know that marathoners like Will typically raise an average of $1450 with their fundraising pages?  Want to do the same?  Send an email to endurance@firstgiving.com and we’ll help you get started.