Participants choose who benefits when they join The Human Race

On any given weekend day you’re likely to find a group of walkers or runners on our streets or in our parks, each of them dedicated to a common cause.

Together, they aim to cure cancer or end domestic violence or feed the hungry. They raise awareness, and they raise money for a charity that shares their ideals.

Organizing a walk or a run, though, is a huge undertaking — a fundraising option many small, local nonprofits have neither the staff nor the budget to run on their own.

Enter The Human Race.

Put together by Giving DuPage, a clearinghouse of volunteer opportunities, The Human Race is a single event that lets participants choose which not-for-profit organization will benefit from their registrations. The inaugural run/walk has 26 participating nonprofits representing causes as varied as homeownership support, food pantries and family services.

The Human Race begins at 9 a.m. Saturday, April 21, on a USATF-sanctioned course through Danada Forest Preserve, 3S580 Naperville Road, Wheaton. Participants can run a 5K or walk a 2K. Registration, $25, is due by Sunday, April 15.

Unlike participants in many fundraising events, the runners and walkers in The Human Race may not be driven by the same cause as the person next to them at the starting line. But each of them is committed to a cause — one that will directly benefit the people of DuPage County.

Today, we hear from three participants about their dedication to the causes they’ll support in The Human Race.

Downers Grove Choral Society happy to be part of Human Race

Woman’s club racing to protect Naperville landmark

Teacher, student to walk together for Literacy DuPage