As Malaria No More’s team of 25 runners prepares for Sunday’s New York City marathon, Alistair Fernie reflects on his fundraising efforts in last year’s race:

A lot of people thought I was insane to run the New York City marathon in 2008 two and a half weeks after my wife had given birth to twins. But as an experienced charity fund-raiser, I knew that nothing would help more with getting sponsorship for Malaria No More (except perhaps running in a giant mosquito costume). Most people think marathon runners are mad. Most people think people who have young twins deserve enormous sympathy. And charity sponsorship is all about milking that “rather you than me” feeling to raise funds for a good cause – “if this guy’s prepared to go through such agony, I should give some cash!”

I decided to raise money for Malaria No More because I had come across them in my work at the UK Mission to the United Nations in New York, and been impressed by the clarity of their mission. I was also about to move to Nairobi as head of the UK government’s Department for International Development office there, running the British aid programmes in Kenya and Somalia…

Read more about Alistair’s experience in Africa and his reflections on running the marathon last year for Malaria No More on the Malaria No More UK website.

The 2009 team is getting ready to run the marathon on Sunday! Go team!

Nancy Fullman is running the ING NYC Marathon for Malaria No More this Sunday. To raise money for MNM, she hosted a “Malaria Night” event, which she offered to blog about on Buzzwords:

When I moved to Seattle just over a year ago to work at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), I knew very little about malaria. I had a lot to learn given I was immediately labeled the “malaria go-to” research fellow at IHME. As I started working on projects tracking mosquito net coverage and distribution, I became increasingly interested in the “how” and “who” behind net distributions – that is, who were the organizations orchestrating the massive mosquito net campaigns and by what means were they achieving their aims. When Malaria No More advertised running spots in the NYC marathon, I jumped at the opportunity; after all, you don’t frequently get to combine two great passions – running and global health – for an incredible cause!

As a supplement to my fundraising goals, I hosted a “Malaria Night” at a local bar in Seattle (The Alibi Room). Amidst donate-n-drink specials, the highlight of the night was a date auction in which brave volunteers were auctioned off with pre-set dates donated by local businesses and individuals. From kayaking packages to a flight around Puget Sound, the date auction helped to bring in over $1,400 for Malaria No More.

Participants already are demanding that “Malaria Night” become an annual event. I guess I might have to run another marathon to beat malaria next year…

Join MNM staff on the marathon sidelines on Sunday and show your support for the Malaria No More team!

Trying to use your last 24 days of training to get it together for the big race? Or just looking for an excuse to eat healthy in the big city? We’ve got the meal ticket for you!

db Bistro Moderne is now offering a prix-fixe “marathon menu” to NYC runners to help give them a lift during their last leg of training. Executive Chef, Olivier Muller, is running the marathon to raise awareness of Malaria No More and db Bistro is showing its support for Olivier and the fight against malaria by combining runner-friendly food and a charitable donation in the October-only dinner special. The 3-course meal will fill famished runners on tasty avocado carpaccio, delicious house-made whole wheat ravioli and sweet grape sorbet dessert for $55. The cherry on top is that every “marathon meal” includes a $10 donation to Malaria No More to help African families protect themselves from malaria.

Get more details about the “marathon menu” and special db Bistro African-inspired lunch and fundraiser here.