PayPal Stories Archive

Almost 2.5 hours into the London Marathon, runner Sarah Tantillo got an energy boost from strangers cheering her on by name out of a field of nearly 36,000.

 

"That's Charity Row, mile 16 to 19," says Tantillo, 32, a sales rep from Portland, Oregon. In London, more than three out of four marathoners run for a cause larger than themselves. Spectators jam the race route, keeping their eyes peeled for runners sporting the colors of their favorite charities.

 

"During all the large races the charities have cheering sections, people shouting your name," Tantillo said. "And you need someone there."

 

Like Tantillo, tens of thousands of runners across the globe push themselves as they lift charitable donations ever higher in money-raising efforts pioneered by the London Marathon in 1981. The advent of online payment platforms including PayPal make giving easier, allowing donations to reach new heights.

 

Each marathon organizer partners with a payment platform, as do individual charities. From Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to Cologne, Germany, about 100 marathons are scheduled in just the last three months of 2015. Donations often come in multiples of $26.20, reflecting the 26.2-mile marathon distance.

 

Tens of thousands of runners across the globe push themselves as they lift charitable donations ever higher in fundraising efforts pioneered by the London Marathon in 1981.

 

The London Marathon's official fundraising website is Virgin Money Giving, which accepts PayPal.

 

London racers in April 2015 ran up a world record for an annual single-day charity fundraising event for the ninth successive year, raising nearly $84 million, officials said.

 

"I wouldn't have done London without a tie in to a charity," said Tantillo, who raised money for Guide Dogs, which provides guide dogs to blind and visually impaired people in the United Kingdom. Tantillo often trains with Wolfie, her border collie mix. "Raising money for Guide Dogs was a way to give back."

 

Online payment providers, like PayPal, have helped facilitate the giving as more people prefer to make digital donations rather than send a cash or check. Over 36 million people used PayPal to donate $5.7 billion to 418,000 charities last year. Tantillo said donors told her having PayPal as a payment option helped.

 

"PayPal was the easiest way for them to donate through the UK website," she said.

 

The world's largest marathons, which often have 160,000 runners vying to get into a race that allows only 30,000 or 40,000 participants, set aside coveted slots for those raising money for charities.

 

For many runners, their support for a cause runs deep.

 

Krysten Siba Bishop says running for charity is “a big motivator to get out there and be raising money for something bigger than you.”

 

Krysten Siba Bishop, 30, of Toronto, received a pacemaker-defibrillator at age 18 due to heart trouble and started running a year later. At 27 she underwent a double mastectomy after doctors detected the BRCA gene, which indicates a woman faces a 60 percent increase in the risk of getting breast cancer.

 

Bishop has completed two marathons and raised $5,000 for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation and the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada.

 

"Running is my way of regaining ownership of my health and my body," Bishop said. "It reminds me my body is strong and capable more than anything else."

 

It's also “a big motivator to get out there and be raising money for something bigger than you," she added.

 

Bishop raised money via a yoga studio in which instructors taught their classes for free and she received students' donations. All the payments were transferred through Bishop's PayPal account to the Heart and Stroke foundation, she said.

 

Runners can share their personal journeys as part of their fundraising appeal. Many charities host online pages where participants post their stories and update supporters on their training and results.

 

Larry and Sharon Saltzman. Sharon raised more than $50,000 for a recent half marathon. She says the donations feel “like a virtual big hug."

 

That’s been the case for the Saltzmans of Sacramento. Dr. Larry Saltzman posted about his bid to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) as he was battling chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) – undergoing chemo, testing medicines and staving off fatigue. He raised more than $200,000 from hundreds of donors over three Boston Marathons (2012-2014).

 

"When you click on the donate button, you'll see PayPal come up as an option," Larry said.

 

Though his marathon days are now over, his wife Sharon is running in his honor for Team In Training in the Nike Women's Half Marathon in San Francisco. She has surpassed her goal of raising $50,000.

 

"It feels like a virtual big hug," she said. "All the people donating, knowing Larry has CLL; people are just hoping for the best and sending good healing vibes."