Miles for Miracles Program
Fundraising
Training
The World Marathon Majors were originally a series of six elite marathons considered the world’s most renowned races: Boston, New York City, Chicago, Tokyo, London, and Berlin. The series was created to advance the sport of running. The Sydney Marathon was recently added as the 7th World Major and Cape Town is being added as the 8th.
We have entries/bibs to seven of the eight marathons: Boston, New York City, London, Berlin, Sydney, Cape Town and Tokyo. Runners can also qualify or secure entry individually to any of the World Marathon Majors and apply to join our team and raise money for Boston Children’s.
You can apply to run for Boston Children’s through the following marathon races:
If you have questions, contact us at run@chtrust.org.
All interested runners (including our alumni runners) must complete an online application for each race they are interested in running. Applications are reviewed as they are received, on a rolling basis. Along with your contact information and running experience, we’re interested in learning why you want to run for Boston Children's Hospital (your connection or personal story) and your fundraising goal and plans. Once you submit your completed application, we may contact you to speak further.
No. We accept runners of all levels and welcome anyone interested in running for Boston Children’s Hospital to apply to our team. However, runners who apply must commit to a training program to prepare for race day.
A standard runner is applying to use one of Boston Children’s Hospital's charity entries/bibs to participate in a World Marathon Major race. An own entry runner already has an entry/bib for the marathon from qualifying or another source, such as a race sponsor.
By raising money for Boston Children’s, you provide vital care, research breakthroughs, and support services to our patients and their families. As an own entry runner, you will have a fundraising minimum to be part of our team but will have access to our team perks!
In addition to a required fundraising commitment (see below), all runners are responsible for their own travel expenses. Runners with a Boston Children's bib will also need to submit a non-refundable $200 administrative fee and credit card number upon acceptance to the team. Note: The $200 does not count toward your fundraising commitment.
As a member of the Miles for Miracles team, you’ll help children and families receive the lifesaving care they need at Boston Children’s Hospital. You’ll enjoy other benefits such as:
To inspire our runners, Boston Children’s pairs up current or former patients with runners through our Patient Partner program. Do you know a patient that you’d like to run for? Ask their family to register for the Patient Partner program or email run@chtrust.org for more information.
Team Remember is a special part of our Miles for Miracles team made up of runners who are honoring the memory of a loved one—or who have someone running in their loved one’s memory. Families and runners can choose to honor their loved one in whatever way feels most meaningful and comfortable to them, while still being part of the larger team and community. To learn more or to participate, families can register directly or email run@chtrust.org for details.
If you are selected to receive an entry/bib from Boston Children’s for our Miles for Miracles team, you must commit to raising the following. Please note that minimums vary based on race requirements and are subject to change each season:
Money you raise provides lifesaving care and support to patients and families at Boston Children’s through our Every Child Fund. When you fundraise, you advance promising research, provide the best medical care to kids facing complex illnesses and give parents support services that enable them to stay by their child’s side.
Every runner who is accepted to the team provides their credit card information and commits to several fundraising deadlines throughout the training season for your marathon. You’ll have until a specific date to reach your fundraising minimum that will be outlined on your commitment agreement form. If you’re unable to reach your minimum by that time, your credit card will be charged the difference.
Encourage your supporters to donate online through your personal fundraising page. If the donor prefers to write a check, make checks payable to Boston Children's Hospital and mail to the address below.
Boston Children’s Hospital Trust
Attn: Gift Services/Miles for Miracles
401 Park Drive, Suite 602
Boston, MA 02215
Yes. Our gift processing team will add donations received in the mail to your personal fundraising page. Offline donations may take 7-10 business days to be reflected on your page.
Yes. Boston Children's Hospital acknowledges all gifts of $250 or more and sends receipts for these gifts per IRS guidelines. All online gifts receive an automatic email receipt.
Many companies offer matching gifts to employees who give to nonprofits like Boston Children’s Hospital. Increase the impact of your donation by applying for your employer to match your gift.
Check here to see if your company will match your donation »
Your matching gift will not count toward your fundraising until it is received and booked by Gift Services at Boston Children’s Hospital Trust. Please note: It can take months for us to receive your matching gift and we cannot withhold charging your credit card on a fundraising deadline while waiting for your matching gift to arrive.
Yes. Learn more about donating by Donor Advised Fund here and share this link with your donors.
Unfortunately, no. Because of technical changes that Meta (Facebook’s owner) has made to Facebook Fundraisers and payment processing, Facebook Fundraisers are no longer compatible with our fundraising systems.
Some banks will label this gift transaction as recurring even if it is not. If your donor would like to confirm that they made a one-time gift, they may contact run@chtrust.org.
We ask all runners to follow a training program to safely build endurance and prepare for race day. We provide team resources, including schedules tailored to different experience levels. While you’re not required to use one specific plan, we strongly encourage you to train consistently—whether that’s with our coaches’ program or your own.
Yes. We have dedicated and certified team coaches who work with runners of all levels and running abilities. They'll provide you with a training schedule and other guidance to help you train and prepare for race day. You'll receive more information directly from the coaches if you are accepted to our team.
Yes. Our team meets most Saturday mornings in the Greater Boston area throughout the 19-week training period during the winter/spring Boston/London Marathon and summer/fall NYC Marathon seasons. Our coaches will work with you to adjust your mileage and schedule. Please note: practices are only open to current members of Miles for Miracles teams.