While scores of capable people abhor running (fatties and lazy wankers), participating in charity fun run can provide a sorely needed yearly budget for life saving research.

Many groups, such as the Australian Leukaemia and Lymphoma Group and the National Breast Cancer Foundation, could not develop their life saving vaccines, detection methods and drugs without profits from fun runs and other charity events.

As one who regularly competes in fun runs, I can absolutely testify to their enjoyable and entertaining nature. Everyone, from infants being pushed in prams to diligent grey haired life-long joggers show up for these events and, of the most part, have a great time doing something that humans have done for millennia and raising money for worthy causes.

Years ago when I decided it was time to quit smoking, I used running as my inspiration. I badly wanted to quit and used the upcoming the Bridge to Brisbane 12km fun run. On days that I smoked heavily, I could not complete my training run, so I quickly cut down and totally quit, and immediately benefited from tar free lungs.

That year I completed the Bridge to Brisbane in 1:28, and each year I’ve trained to reduce that time. Now I run just over a 4 minute kilometre (14.6km/h)… which is pretty good considering my frame.

This year I’ve set myself the challenge of finishing the Gold Coast Half Marathon on July 5th. This was the goal that I set myself once I began a weight loss regime mid last year. I’ve now lost 1/5th of my body weight and have abs for the first time in my life.

Before you think that I’m just talking myself up, realise that there is no way that I could have found myself at this juncture unless I had participated in fun runs. I am now the antithesis of the obese, unfit smoker that I was.

Ironically, I pay to participate in the fun runs that fund research to benefit those affected by the lifestyle related diseases that I most probably would have been afflicted by, had I not started participating in fun runs.

Nonetheless, get your chunky butt of the couch, slip on your joggers (they’re probably in the back of your cupboard) and go for a run. Start with your block, then your street, then your suburb, and then take on Forest Gump. Either way, do your part to eliminate disease that you’ll develop if you don’t get off the couch.