JR Sandadi Fundraiser for School on Wheels

Thank you for helping end homelessness with education.

On Sunday, October 2nd 2022, I will be running the London Marathon. In my pursuit to run six World Major Marathons, this will be the fourth one. So far, I ran New York Marathon in 2018, Chicago Marathon in 2019 and Big Kahuna Boston Marathon in 2021. 

For London Marathon, I chose to support and raise money for School on Wheels (SOW), an organization which does great work for a cause that's very close to my heart - Gift of Education.  School on Wheels' mission is to transform the lives of students impacted by homelessness and housing instability with personalized tutoring and academic support.  

I am associated with SOW for the past 4 years. Started as a tutor and now give my time as IDEA committee member. It has been one of the profoundly meaningful & purposeful experiences of my life: working with elementary kids on overcoming their challenges in reading and math. 

Coming to my running escapades,  it has started around 9 years ago. To a chubby and un-fit dude, who could not even run a 1/4 of a mile without stopping, running a QTR marathon was a mammoth ask. Started off running 10K runs in 2014, moved to half marathon (13.1miles) then kicked into high gear in 2015 by running my first marathon(26.2 miles). Running has become a big part of me. This activity enabled me to re-connect with old friends from college as well as make new friendships.

On this safarnama, I have discovered the process of self-introspection. All I do is keep running in my own cozy, homemade void, my own nostalgic silence and that feeling is a pretty wonderful thing to experience.

Running is such a meditative activity that it has become a drug of my choice. Simple gestures like smile from an opposing runner can lift your spirits and make you move forward. Did some goofy things like teaching how to say #Namaste to opposing runners on Carmel Monon trail, lost my wallet few times, made my elder brother run with me in Hyderabad, India. In the process, trained in frigid Midwest winter months, ran on Mexico beaches, pristine Hawaiian Islands, majestic Canadian rocky parks-Banff/Jasper, high altitude Ladakh too. 

For my Boston Marathon Runs of 2020 & 2021, we have collectively raised over $21K for homeless families of Boston. I am looking forward to your generosity on this adventure of mine.

#RunForSchoolOnWheels

#BhaagG2Bhaag

#SewaParamoBrahmah