Team U raises over $6,500 at Unite Half Marathon

When runners returned to campus after finishing the Unite Half Marathon at Rutgers on Sunday, many Princeton students asked themselves whether they have what it takes to run the 13.1 miles to the finish line. For most, the answer was no. Team U wants to change that.

Team U is an intercollegiate fundraising initiative with the goal of spreading awareness about global health and poverty. It is an official nonprofit organization founded by Joe Benun ’15, whose goal was to build a program that would fuse his love for health, fitness and service.

“Team U wants more and more people to sign up so that they can change their perception of what they can achieve,” Benun said. “You do it for an important cause. Instead of just moving your legs to run, you can elevate your health, the health of others around the world and the health of others in the Princeton community.”

Team U had 89 runners signed up for the half marathon this past weekend, about 75 of whom came out on Sunday. Of the 5,000 total runners in the race, Team U had the largest team. All runners finished well within the three-and-a-half hour time limit on the race.

Not only did Team U have impressive participation and perfect completion, but three of its runners finished at the top of their respective age groups. Junior Elizabeth Henry came in third place in the female 20-24 age group with a time of 1:28.58. Freshman Albert Lee, coming in at 1:19:19, finished second in males under 19. Graduate student Greg Davies had the team’s fastest time at 1:19:09, which earned him third place in the 30-34 male age group.

Team U encourages group training for all of the races it runs. Every Saturday it organizes group runs in the morning, and it coordinates smaller group runs throughout the week using its Facebook group.

The team typically runs one half marathon a semester, although the Princeton half marathon in the fall, for which Team U had 120 runners, was canceled due to Hurricane Sandy. A number of the team members participated in an impromptu half marathon in a tribute to the victims from the natural disaster.

While fitness is the foundation for Team U, it prides itself on its ability to raise money for and awareness of global health. Its major partner is Shoe4Africa, an organization originally started to eradicate hookworm disease by bringing shoes to Kenya. Shoe4Africa has expanded to tackle issues from AIDS awareness to education to women’s rights. Team U raised more than $6,500 for the organization through the half marathon.

“I could not have donated $500 myself, but instead I used my own strength and endurance to run a half marathon and raise $500,” one of the new marathon chairs Charles Fortin '15 said. “You are making a difference at home and abroad. The impact that it makes on the Princeton campus is inspirational and excites others in the community.”

“Other organizations raise funds and are great, but they don’t build a connection between student and cause like we try to foster at Team U,” Benun added.

Team U welcomes everyone, whether potential members are fitness gurus or have never run before. In fact, the organization hopes to bring people who are less inclined to work out into the world of athletics. It feels that running for a cause is the perfect motivation to get in shape.

Benun has begun the process of expanding Team U and creating self-sustaining chapters, which already exist at both Princeton and Yale. The process begins with his stepping down, or as new president Shannon McGue '15 put it, stepping up to oversee the entire Team U operation. Benun will be focusing on creating corporate partnerships and solidifying a legal and financial framework for the organization.

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Benun and Team U acknowledge that they are not going to single-handedly eradicate poverty or global health issues, but they feel that they are making a big difference in their lives and the lives of others worldwide. What is so special is the fact that there are many things that members can get out of joining Team U.

“[Team U is] like Play-Doh,” Benun said. “You can make a lot of cool things out of it.”

Correction: Due to a reporting error, an earlier version of this article misstated a portion of a quotation by Charles Fortin. He said he could not have donated $500 himself. Due to incorrect information provided to The Daily Princetonian, an earlier version of this article misstated the amount of money Team U raised. It raised more than $6,500. The 'Prince' regrets the errors.