Fun RUN raises up to €250k
but only €12k goes to cancer charity as organiser says it a ‘commercial’ event
Mail
on Sunday March 30, 2014
A fun
run listing the Irish Cancer Society as its ‘official charity partner’ and
urging participants, ‘Let’s beat cancer together’, was paid up to €250,000 in
entry fees – none of which went to the charity.
Over
7,000 people wearing Day-Glo running clothes and glow sticks took to the
streets of Ballsbridge in Dublin 4 last Saturday for Ireland’s first Electric
Run.
Runners
at the Electric Run unaware it was not for charity
Many
could have been under the impression that at least part of their entry fee –
which ranged from €30 to €43 – was going to help the Irish Cancer Society. This
was not the case.
Anyone
seeking to raise funds for the Irish Cancer Society was given a reduced entry
fee of €20 and encouraged to raise funds separately.
Only
88 of the 7,000 entrants chose this option. Their separate fundraising efforts
made a total of €12,000 for the Irish Cancer Society. This was the sum total
the charity received as a result of the race. None of the income of up to
€250,000 earned from the 7,000 runners’ entry fees went to the charity.
The
revelation comes amid growing disquiet over charity-linked runs with a motion
now set to go before sports body Athletics Ireland calling on races to publicly
declare how much money will be donated to good causes.
Last
week’s Electric Run was part of a series put on around the world by a US
company which has seen over 300,000 people take part.
Anyone
seeking to raise funds for the Irish Cancer Society was given a reduced entry
fee of €20 and encouraged to raise funds separately.
The
races were started by Dan Hill from Utah and organised through his Electric Run
firm. But the race in Dublin was organised by Irish firm Run Ireland. Compared
to traditional runs, Electric Run has a festival atmosphere described as an
‘electric wonderland’. It takes place at night with DJs playing dance music and
the runners dress in neon and brandish glow sticks.
The
Irish event’s website exclaimed: ‘We’re so excited to have the Irish Cancer
Society as our official charity partner for Electric run Ireland!’ It went on
to explain how to raise ‘more’ money for the charity and what the charity could
do with it.
The
Electric Run’s official Facebook page also stated: ‘We’re delighted to announce
that Electric Run Dublin has partnered with the Irish Cancer Society and Just
Giving. So put your hands up if you want to raise money for this very worthy
cause. Let’s beat Cancer together!’ The Irish Cancer Society told the Irish
Mail on Sunday it did not receive a single cent from the entry fee.
A
spokesman said: ‘It puts our name out there. It has a real value to us, that’s
free support – 88 people out of 7,000 isn’t much but it is €12,000 compared to
nothing with no staff, resources, time or investment. That does help us.’ When
asked if the website gave the impression the Irish Cancer Society was receiving
some of the entry fee, he said there was no intention to confuse anyone.
A
spokeswoman for Run Ireland said: ‘It wasn’t a charity race. It’s a purely
commercial race… We’re very transparent. It’s absolutely not a charity event,
it’s a commercial event.
‘The
charity of choice we have allowed to use our database to raise money is the
Irish Cancer Society.’ Richard Donovan, the chairman of Ultra Running Ireland,
criticised the lack of transparency in commercial races but added: ‘It’s not
just the commercial operators who are to blame: there must be a question mark
over certain charities that allow their name to be used in a misleading
manner.’
By
Warren Sword
