WHY WE RUN IN THE DARK

Millions of paralysed people worldwide don’t have the option to walk or to run or even to stand up but you can help change that this year. By signing up to Run in the Dark, you are joining a global community running, for those who dream to walk.

All of your donations and fundraising will support our charity partner Collaborative Cures to bring people together to cure paralysis in our lifetime.

COLLABORATIVE CURE’S MISSION

When Mark Pollock broke his back in 2010, he discovered that paralysis strikes at the very heart of what it means to be human. It turned him from his upright, running, jumping form into a seated compromise of himself.

Mark learned that it’s not just the lack of feeling and movement, it also interferes with the body’s internal systems that are designed to keep people alive. Multiple infections, neuropathic pain and uncontrollable spasms are common. These are the things that exhaust even the most determined. And, along with fundamentally impacting quality of life, it comes with €4 million average lifetime cost of care, there are huge barriers to getting back to work, and premature death is inevitable.

Since 2011, Mark and his team have been involved in catalysing collaborations that are now valued at over €100 million. These include co-creating international neuro-modulation and robotics research studies; building an exoskeleton rehabilitation programme; facilitating multi-stakeholder relationships towards the commercialisation of academic research; and working alongside Wings for Life Spinal Research Foundation and the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation.

Through these experiences, Mark and his team observed a systemic lack of collaboration and a pattern of world-class stakeholders working in isolation, ultimately impeding progress towards a cure which will benefit millions of paralysed people around the world.

Following a decade of learning, Collaborative Cures was set up to scale efforts to create the conditions for collaboration to cure paralysis in our lifetime. Collaborative Cures focuses on bringing people together to create systemic impact that will:

• Reduce 50-year scientific translation timelines to 10 years by creating the conditions for collaboration, facilitating healthy rivalries and building trust.
• Catalyse collaborations worth €1 billion by connecting scientists and technologists with business know how, regulatory expertise and capital.

Find out more about how Collaborative Cures delivers impact.

SET UP YOUR ONLINE FUNDRAISING PAGE

We’ve made it easy to fundraise for Collaborative Cures – a JustGiving page is just one click away when you register, or you can click “Create your Fundraiser” to go to JustGiving and set up your fundraising page.

Once you’ve created your page, you can use our collection of images and graphics at the bottom of the page to share your fundraising efforts with friends and family on WhatsApp, email or social media.

FUNDRAISING TIPS & TRICKS

Now that you’ve set up your fundraising page, you can start on the fun stuff – personalising your page and sharing it with friends and family. You can find some really helpful fundraising tips here.

1. Set up your fundraising page on JustGiving and make sure to add a profile photo.
2. Tell them why you’re doing it. Include a line about the cause you’re running for, so people understand your motivations and know where their money is going. E.g. “As darkness sweeps around the globe on 17 November, I’ll be joining 25,000 people worldwide to Run in the Dark. Please support me as I raise funds for Collaborative Cures whose mission is to bring people together to cure paralysis in our lifetime.”
3. Share the link with your family and friends across all your social media and communications platforms.
4. Images and visuals work well – feel free to use our selection of photos and graphics below.

SOCIAL MEDIA GRAPHICS

You can share them on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or send them to your family, friends and colleagues through email or WhatsApp to ask them to sponsor you. Remember to include the link to your JustGiving fundraising page.