1st Annual Anything for a Friend 5K

The results of the 1st Annual Anything for a Friend 5k are in!  With your help and the commemoration of your loved ones, together we raised nearly $20,000 for the Giving Tree program.  Words cannot express our gratitude, nor scratch even the surface of some of the amazing stories that are coming out of Saturdays run.  Thank you for doing Anything for a Friend!

There has been an outpouring of sentiment, stories, and touching gestures surrounding the F2TF (Fight to the Finish) mantra that was brought to AFAF through Tyler Smith and his family.  Many have wondered how we can share the message of fighting to our own finish in a more powerful and widespread manner. 

There is a clear and simple connection between the FIGHT TO THE FINISH battle cry and the conflict waged in the middle of a run.  From the time that Tyler left this earth, people have approached us wondering when we would be doing a F2TF 5K run, well, the wait is over and we are ready to bring the connection between the F2TF mantra, 5K races, and the undeniable resilience of the human spirit together for a special benefit run.

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Images of other commemorative races have sparked some powerful images of humans responding to pain and tragedy, in an irrepressible and positive manner.  The fact is that inevitably there are hard things that happen in each of our lives--that is not a choice.  The choice rests in our response to the hard things in our lives!  Will we wallow in the grief and shrink under the weight of it all, bogged down in unanswerable “WHY’S”, or will we rise up from the ashes of the sorrowful and often unexplainable pain in our lives and use our personal hurt to better the lives of others?      

The past three years of Anything for a Friend history has provided this world with some truly inspirational heroes, from the amazing recipients that have sparked so many hearts, and the incredible organizing committees who have been instrumental in changing countless communities and lives, to anonymous and bigger than life “strangers” who have created miraculous stories and have inspired untold 100’s of people through their personal F2TF put into action.                                                                               

 

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                                                                                                                                                                                                          This 5K is more than a race; it is a call to action!  Lace up your running shoes (real or in spirit) and stand up in the face of the pain that has been a part of your personal life!  Join the F2TF movement and create a team signifying a celebration of your special loved one who is currently going through or have gone through hard things, or in memory of those special souls in your life who have paid the ultimate price and remain in your hearts as a source of inspiration and motivation to do better.

F2TF is not just a message about the cure for a certain disease, but the ultimate hope and courage of the human spirit to stand up and fight when the world and conventional wisdom says that you should be done!  That same hope and courage has been displayed not only in the individuals and families struck by the life altering circumstances, but in the loved ones and communities that make up the supportive fabric of their lives.  Imagine the morning of the 5K, 100’s of people in a sea of F2TF shirts ; people full of love, care, pain, and resilience all gathered in unity for one message to the world, “We choose to FIGHT TO OUR FINISH!”  Giving many a special voice and opportunity to gather as an expression of love and support for your cherished loved one.  Your lives will stand as a symbol of the wisdom and compassion that you have gleaned on the other side of heartbreak.  Thus making you a powerful force for good in the lives of many families.

Go the Distance, Michael Bolton

(Click here to listen to the perfect song for the F2TF 5K--Listen/read the words really carefully!)

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We are hoping that this 5K becomes a yearly tradition, that will create a platform to share with as many people as possible the power behind the concept of Anything for a Friend and Tyler’s battle cry, “Fight To The Finish!” which is a message that could change the lives of untold numbers of people.

The money generated from the 5K will support the Giving Tree Program, which has brought support, love, and healing to 35 families this year alone.  Ann Smith, who is the Board Member Chair of the Giving Tree Program, would love to increase the amount that Anything for a Friend matches, which is currently $250 /tree.  Her goal is $1,000 /tree and we really need your help to kick this off!  Many of you have wanted to know what you can do to help, this is it!  

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Imagine if each of you could get a handful of friends and family members to run, walk, and just plain have a great time, all while helping people in need and in celebration or in memory of your loved one!  It could be truly incredible and with the broad base of our mission’s impact we will be the biggest 5K series in the country (maybe the world) in no time and you can say you were involved from the beginning!

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1st Annual F2TF 5K Run /1Mile Walk :

5K Run /1 Mile Walk Date: August 17th 2013

Time:

  • Same day Registration: 6:30am (Shirts are not guaranteed)
  • Pre-registrants/T-shirts: 7:00am
  • Balloon Launch: 7:45am
  • 5K begins following balloon launch (Between 8:00 and 8:15am)

Location: Weber State University, Shepherd Union Building (Fun Run will start at the Bell Tower in the Shepherd Union Plaza)

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Specific Team Registrations closed on the 9th of August but you can click here to Register Now for GENERAL Admission!

For anyone that is interested, the talented SARABELLA's Custom Jewerly will be offering a special necklace and keychain that can be purchased for $20 the morning of the race!

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Details:

  • We will be holding a special balloon launch in memory and celebration of our loved ones just prior to the start of the 5K.
  • Registration will be $25 (Same day registration: $30, shirt size not guaranteed) and will include race, t-shirt and breakfast. 
  • A team does not need to be comprised of past or current Anything for a Friend recipients, but is offered to any group wanting to make an expression of love and support.
  • If a team has 25 registrants or more, AFAF will print a team specific t-shirt (i.e. TEAM “LOVED ONE” below the F2TF) with color specific shirt.  Group registration of 24 and under will receive an F2TF Team AFAF shirt in white.
  • The team totals will be displayed on the website so you will know if you are hitting your goal.
  • All individualized t-shirts must be in by the 9th of August.

 

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