Team Fox marathon athletes are racking up serious training miles this fall for their big races. In addition to hitting the pavement, these athletes are also creatively fundraising to meet required fundraising goals that keep the Foundation running the course of its own marathon toward a cure for Parkinson’s disease (PD). Team Fox asked five athletes how they push themselves past the fundraising finish line.

Flex your creative muscles.

Yoko Bradford, long-time marathoner of Bolingbrook, Illinois, recently joined Team Fox as part of our team for the Bank of America Chicago Marathon. Yoko began her fundraising efforts through email asks, but soon realized that a creative touch would propel her campaign forward. One spark of creativity grew into a flood of requests for Yoko’s “Oh! For FOX Sake!” handpainted mugs. In addition to the mugs, Yoko organized the sale of sweaty band headbands and “Miles of Smiles,” recruiting a sponsor for each mile of the marathon. With nearly $2500 raised, Yoko has surpassed her fundraising goal and is ecstatic to be part of Team Fox: “I found that I just needed to provide an opportunity for people to get involved… And the fundraising has become very fun and enjoyable. It is all for people I love and care about.”

Use inspiration to push yourself.

For a long time, Ben Hall was not a fan of running. But now with seven races under his belt, the Blountstown, Florida firefighter shows no signs of stopping. Ben will run The Walt Disney World Goofy Challenge (half and full marathons back-to-back) in January — his first races with Team Fox. So how does he stay motivated? During training, Ben thinks of his mother and his uncle, both diagnosed with Parkinson’s: “It won’t be an easy task, but neither is living with PD.” Ben takes every opportunity to push his fundraising to the next level by never being afraid to ask. A dollar drive at a local elementary school raised $450, and his recent #FiremanBenDoesGoofy t-shirt sale helped him power past his goal to over $2600 raised and counting. Ben has learned to parlay his newfound enthusiasm for running into an opportunity to speed a cure and intends to dedicate every future run to Team Fox.

Build your fundraising support team.

Rose Babcock of Orlando, Florida is no stranger to marathons. The 2015 TCS NYC Marathon will be her eighth race, and in January she’ll hit number nine at the Walt Disney World Dopey Challenge. As a physical therapist, Rose works with people with PD, but after her own father was diagnosed in 2013, Parkinson’s became personal. So for the NYC marathon, Rose and her husband Chris decided to lace up for Team Fox. Their fundraising strategy: organize a “Pints for Parkinson’s” event. Despite initially feeling overwhelmed at the prospect of event planning, Rose was humbled by the support she received. After Rose sent requests in 140 characters or less via Twitter, local and national companies donated beer, and many local Team Fox members lent her their time. From little tasks like manning the Plinko board to major refreshment and venue donations, Rose believes that extra help can make all the difference: “Thanks to the extra hands we were able to quickly demolish our expectations, and ended up with over $5,000 raised that day for Team Fox. We’re already planning the next round of Pints for Parkinson’s Orlando for July 2016!”  

Find motivation close to home.

For Rosie Kaplan, running began as an opportunity to stay active after having three children. But after watching Tour de Fox coverage on TV, she was inspired to connect her new love of running with a cause close to home. Rosie, along with family members, ran the 2015 Chicago Half Marathon in honor of her mother who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s 15 years ago. For Rosie, who lives in Omaha, Nebraska, the most important thing was to make clear to supporters why she chose to run: “I created an iMovie of my mom to show people what kind of person she is and her love for our family. When I posted that on Facebook I got a huge surge of donations. People could really see why this charity meant so much to me and my family.” After Rosie’s video received overwhelming support, Rosie’s daughter Gabi decided to make her own tribute. With a little help from her mom, Gabi created a second video for her grandmother reaching over 1,000 views. As of today, both videos have contributed to Rosie surpassing her $5,000 fundraising goal. Scroll down to watch Gabi's full video.

Embrace small donations.

For Rene Duquesnoy of Chicago, Illinois, no donation is too small. A third-time marathoner and recent runner of the Bank of America Chicago Marathon, Rene’s training tactics are similar to his fundraising strategy — take everything one step at a time. Rene explains: “First, I contacted groups of friends in different circles and asked for small donations. I'm all about small donations. I asked people to consider giving just $5 or $10, but they usually gave $25-50 once they committed.” Building on these smaller donations, Rene and two other Team Fox members organized their second “Comedy Sportz” improv show and raffle to bring together family and friends for a fun night of laughs. The night was a huge success and raised over $2,000. And to give his fundraising that extra edge, Rene used social media to publicly thank donors and cast his fundraising net even farther.