When UM senior Destyn Storm Zarate ran the Madrid Marathon while studying abroad, he initially saw the race as a personal challenge. He spent his semester preparing for what he expected to be the greatest challenge he had faced, working training into his busy class schedule.
“I thought to myself, it’s good to run a marathon for yourself. But how good would it be if you did it for other people at the same time?” Zarate said.
Zarate gave himself just seven days to raise $10,000 and reached his goal the day before he was set to run 26.2 miles.
“It was the greatest accomplishment in the world, and I didn’t even run the marathon yet,” he said.
After completing the race, Zarate began thinking about scaling up his fundraising. He knew about the Miami Marathon, which attracts University of Miami students.
He also knew he wanted to raise much more than $10,000 this go-around.
And so, Run For The U was created.
UM students can join the organization and run the Miami Marathon, half marathon or 5K while raising enough money to fund a full scholarship to the University.
Zarate estimates that the group will need to raise $400,000 to cover four years of tuition and fees. The team plans to raise money by encouraging donations through a GoFundMe link and by securing local community sponsors.
With that goal in mind, Zarate began looking for members for his founding team and recruited senior Lauren Margerison as his director of marketing.
“He ran the Madrid Marathon and said, ‘Look, a lot of people raise money for the New York Marathon. A lot of people raise money for the Boston Marathon, but nobody raises money for the Miami Marathon to that extent,’” Margerison said.
Interest in the organization has grown quickly, with about 200 students already involved.
The organization is not limited to experienced runners. Members of the founding team come from different levels of experience, and one of the group’s major goals is to have group training sessions, recovery days and dinners together to cultivate a close community.
“We really are just a mixture,” Margerison said. “The point is not just to run. It is to raise money and to have a good time.”
Students are also encouraged to participate without running in the official marathon. Margerison said the race’s lottery system created an unexpected challenge for the organization. She said more than 150 students expressed interest in running the race, but only about 40 have received a spot so far.
Run For The U is considering having non-runners volunteer to help with a water station, a table at events, promoting the fundraiser and supporting the team.
The founding team already includes students involved in Greek life, student government, ROTC and club sports. Margerison said those connections could help the organization reach students who may not consider themselves runners but still want to be involved.
“The more people we have, the more fun and the more energy there is to raise the money,” Margerison said.
The scholarship selection process remains a work in progress, but one thing is clear.
Both Zarate and Margerison said the group wants the eventual recipient to demonstrate financial need and be passionate about UM.
As Run For The U prepares for its first Miami Marathon on January 31, 2027, the organization is continuing to recruit members and build its fundraising network.
Whether students run 26.2 miles, participate in a group training session or share the fundraising link, Zarate hopes the effort can eventually help another student attend UM.
“When you know you’re a part of an organization whose goal is to fund a UM student’s tuition. [It’s] unheard of. It’s never been done before here,” Zarate said.