Tokyo + New York · 2027 · For Keep a Child Alive
I'm 52. My body is less "marathon runner" and more "drives to the letterbox". I'm carrying a few extra kilos, mostly in the shape of croissants, and my knees make a noise when I stand up. In 2027 I'm running Tokyo and New York anyway, with two of my children, who have 30 years, all of their cartilage and none of my love handles on me. We're raising $50,000 for Keep a Child Alive.
The bet: if I don't finish both races, I donate double whatever we raise. If I don't survive them, my estate does. Either way, the kids win.
All donations go straight to Keep a Child Alive. None of it goes to my physio, though he has asked.
Start gun · Tokyo Marathon · Sun 7 March 2027, 9:10am JST
Training status: loading excuses…
The fundraising course
Every $1,185 moves Dad one kilometre down the course. He has trained for this exact amount of movement.
Double or nothing
Donate any amount. If I cross both finish lines inside the cut-off, Keep a Child Alive keeps your donation. If I don't, I match the entire total raised, so every dollar counts twice.
If I don't make it at all, my estate pays. My children are aware. They have started leaving obstacles on the stairs.
The pledge is signed, witnessed and filed with my will. Full wording at the bottom of the page.
| You donate | Dad finishes | Dad doesn't |
|---|---|---|
| $50 | $50 | $100 |
| $250 | $250 | $500 |
| $1,000 | $1,000 | $2,000 |
| Everyone, $50,000 | $50,000 | $100,000 |
The field
0 m
Place your bets
Dad's one and only marathon took 4 hours 14 minutes. He has since aged, eaten and stopped stretching. Drag the slider to your honest estimate. The closest guess from donors gets a shout-out on Instagram and an apology from Dad.
Lock it in with a donationThe Dad Report
Filed weekly, in the format Dad knows best: the quarterly update.
Sample entries · real reports start at launch
Kilometres up 100% on last week, which was zero. Knees have issued a profit warning. Management remains confident.
Bought shoes that cost more than my first car. They have not yet made me faster. Escalated to the retailer.
Ivy and Richie ran with me. Ivy finished, stretched and bought coffee. Richie filmed my arrival. The footage is under legal review.
Ways to give
Your name on the site. I'll think of you somewhere around km 31.
One dollar per year of Dad. A shout-out in the next Dad Report.
Choose which body part I dedicate a training run to.
Write the message the kids read to me at halfway.
Set my target time. Beat it, you get a video. Miss it, I do your forfeit.
Your name on my race singlet, plus a framed copy of the pledge.
Corporate partnerships
Four packages for businesses, each one a donation to Keep a Child Alive. Choose based on how much you value your reputation.
Your logo on my chest for both races. Millions of spectators, thousands of photos, and every one of them shows a sweaty 52-year-old wearing your brand. Results not guaranteed.
I promise never to wear your logo. Your brand will not be photographed with me collapsing on the Queensboro Bridge. Some reputations are worth protecting.
I wear your competitor's logo instead. Their name, my face, km 38, the medical tent. You can't buy marketing like this. Actually you can. It's $15,000.
Your logo on the soles of my sneakers. Invisible while I'm running. Seen by millions if the video of paramedics loading me into the ambulance goes viral. Feet up, brand up.
Logos subject to race kit rules, good taste and my lawyer's nerves. Competitor chosen by you, approved by Dad.
Where the money goes
The jokes are about me. This part isn't. Keep a Child Alive is a global nonprofit protecting children and families through healthcare, education, safety and newborn survival. It works with grassroots partners who know their communities best, and every dollar raised here goes directly to them.
Questions
Statistically, very unlikely. Emotionally, around km 35, yes. I've had a full medical and my GP has cleared me, with a look on his face I'm still thinking about.
Because the money goes to children who need it either way. The bet only decides whether it goes once or twice.
Crossing the official finish line of both races inside the cut-off. Crawling counts. Being carried does not.
Keep a Child Alive is a US 501(c)(3) charity, so donations get a US receipt. Australian donors can't currently claim a tax deduction. I'm working with KCA on an Australian option and will update this page if one opens up.
For the cause, and to make sure someone is there to film it when I sit down on the Brooklyn Bridge.