$10K for Pacinthe's First 10k Race

Pacinthe Mattar is organizing this fundraiser.

Donation protected

On March 18th, 2020, I went for my first-ever run. It's a small miracle to me that I've kept it up, four years later. To celebrate, on Sunday, May 12th, 2024, I'll join thousands of other runners on Yonge St. for my first-ever Sporting Life 10k in Toronto, alongside my sisters from Hill Run Club.

I want to make this bigger than my own personal race by asking you to fuel my run with a donation. I have an ambitious goal: to raise $10,000 - that's $1,000 for every km of my race. My dream, after I cross the finish line in one piece, is to be able to make four equal donations of $2,500 to four urgent causes:

The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate:

About: https://www.ifj.org/media-centre/news/detail/category/israel-gaza-conflict/article/palestine-ifj-nominates-palestinian-journalists-syndicate-for-global-press-freedom-prize

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p.j.s_ps

The Sudan Solidarity Collective:

About: https://sudansolidarity.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sudansolidaritycollective

The Palestine Children's Relief Fund

About: https://www.pcrf.net/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepcrf

Sulala Animal Rescue

About: https://sulalaanimalrescue.com/donate/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sulalaanimalrescue

By donating, you'll not only be helping me stay committed to training and actually run this race, but you'll also catalyze a sense of despair and helplessness into meaningful action that could have life-saving impact.

Running a 10km race is incredibly daunting. The longest I've ever run in my life is 11k, and have only run 10k a handful of times. It's not an easy distance for me. But the fact that I've stuck with running, no matter how imperfectly, no matter how 'slow' my pace is, for four years, is something I'm incredibly shocked by and proud of. I mostly run on my own; for the comfort of going my own pace. But when I run with Allison Hill and the girls at Hill Run Club, I feel like I can fly.

Please consider a donation, no matter how big or small. If everyone on my Instagram donated just $3.33, I'd make my goal easily.

Whether your heart is with children, with Palestinians, with the Sudanese people, with journalists on the front lines, with animals, or just want to support a fellow runner, I hope you'll find your own reason to donate.

If you cannot donate, please consider sharing.

GoFundMe will only release the funds to me if the full amount is raised - I'm so certain the people who see this will make it happen. I'll be posting donation receipts for full transparency post-race day.