13 Charity Fitness Events to Add to Your Calendar This Summer

5K photo by Texas Military Forces via Flickr/Creative Commons

There’s no shortage of fitness events going on in Boston this summer, but if you’re trying to improve more than just your health, check out one of these local charity events. From walks and bikes to golf tournaments, there’s a philanthropic way for everyone to get active.

1. New England Classic Tour de Cure

Riders can choose between a two-day, 150-mile ride, or a seven-day, 550-mile trek from Woburn through Southern New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont, and Western Massachusetts. All proceeds go to the American Diabetes Association.

July 11-12 or 11-17. Fundraising minimum of $800 for 150 miles or $2,600 for 550 miles; diabetes.org.

2. Bike MS: Minuteman Ride

Ride through historic Concord and its surrounding towns on a 25- or 60-mile route, with funds benefitting the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

July 18, Concord State House, Concord. $250 fundraising minimum; nationalmssociety.org.

3. Run to Home Base

Run to Home Base is a 9K run or two-mile walk raising funds for veterans being treated at the Home Base Program at Massachusetts General Hospital. The run goes over the Charles, down Mass. Ave., and finishes at Fenway’s home plate.

July 25, Fenway Park, Boston. $125-$1,000 fundraising minimum; runtohomebase.org.

4. Pan-Massachusetts Challenge
Bike from Wellesley to Provincetown in this two-day, 160-mile fundraiser that supports research at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Shorter one-day routes are also available, as well as a longer two-day route.

August 1-2, Babson College, Wellesley. $500-$5,200 fundraising minimum; pmc.org.

5. Tee Off Fore a Cure
In August, the Joslin Diabetes Center will host its first golf tournament fundraiser at the Kernwood Country Club in Salem. Play a round of golf with friends or solo, then stick around for dinner and entertainment after the last hole. All proceeds go toward Joslin’s programs for diabetes research, care, and prevention.

August 3, Kernwood Country Club, Salem. $750 to play as an individual, or $3,000 for a foursome; joslin.org.

6. Falmouth Road Race
Choose from almost 100 charities that have partnered with the Falmouth Road Race, and register to fundraise for that team. The course runs seven miles, along Martha’s Vineyard Sound into Falmouth.

August 16, Falmouth. Fundraising minimum varies by team; falmouthroadrace.com. 

7. Link Up for MS Golf Tournament
Benefitting the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, this golf tournament fundraiser at the Ipswich Country Club includes lunch, a round of golf, a silent auction, dinner, and drinks.

August 17, Ipswich Country Club, Ipswich. $500 to play as an individual, or $2,000 to play as a foursome; nationalmssociety.org.

8. Challenge Walk MS: Cape Cod
This three-day, 50-mile walk on the Cape runs from Hyannis to Eastham, and is part of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society’s national Challenge Walk MS fundraising campaign. Held in cities across the country, the event encourages teams to fundraise for multiple sclerosis research, programs, and services.

September 11-13, Cape Cod. $1,500 fundraising minimum per team; nationalmssociety.org.

9. Boston Heart Walk
Join more than 10,000 walkers for a one- or six-mile jaunt benefitting the American Heart Association’s research and clinical programs in the Greater Boston area.

September 12, 47 David G. Mugar Way, Boston. No fundraising minimum; heart.org.

10. Climate Ride Northeast
Over the span of five days, riders will bike 390 miles down the New England coast, from Bar Harbor to the Boston Common. Funds raised by the Climate Ride will provide grants to more than 100 national and local organizations to further their environmental protection work.

September 17-21, Bar Harbor, Maine. $2,800 fundraising minimum; climateride.org.

11. Autumn Escape Bike Trek
The American Lung Association’s Autumn Escape Bike Trek is a two-day, 105-mile or three-day, 160-mile bike ride across the Cape, from Plymouth to Provincetown. Funds raised will support the ALA’s efforts to improve lung health and prevent lung disease. Sign up as a team or individual and enjoy a lobster dinner at the finish line.

September 25-27, Plymouth. $500 fundraising minimum; lung.org.

12. Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure
Run or walk in this 5K along South Boston’s Carson Beach. Proceeds go to the Susan G. Komen foundation, which provides breast cancer screenings and treatment for Massachusetts women.

September 27, Carson Beach, Boston. No fundraising minimum; komenmass.org. 

13. Walk to Cure Arthritis
At the local branch of the national Arthritis Foundation fundraiser, participants can choose between a one- or three-mile course along the Charles at Artesani Park. All proceeds go toward arthritis awareness, research, and treatment.

September 27, Artesani Park, Boston. No fundraising minimum; walktocurearthritisboston.org.