2nd Annual--Anything for a Friend F2TF 5K

 

FRIENDS OLD AND NEW:

Many of you will be returning for the 2nd Annual Anything for a Friend F2TF 5k and will be touched that we are focusing on a YEAR OF HOPE!  Returners are well aware of the story that brought this all together, but for those of you that are new, we would love to share the special story behind why we are doing what we are doing and the uniqueness of this 5k.

HISTORY:

2 years ago this coming May, this world lost a unique and special person and his name was Tyler Smith, he was only 15 years old when he died.  Tyler waged a battle with an adult liver cancer that literally strikes one in a million kids.  He was truly one in a million! 

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F2TF (Fight to the Finish) was Tyler’s mantra right from the beginning of his battle and has become part of his lasting legacy.  That legacy is at the heart of this Annual 5k.

There has been an outpouring of sentiment, stories, and touching gestures surrounding the F2TF slogan and it has become a burning mission of Anything for a Friend to share Tyler’s message of fighting to the 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.  Tyler understood that everyone’s fight was different, but we all had a conscious decision to make, to stand up and fight, or sit down while life passed before our eyes.  Life is beautiful and life is difficult, the Anything for a Friend F2TF 5K is about a conscious choice to FIGHT and persevere through the difficult challenges of life.  This 5K brings together the true champions who have fought, are fighting, or have painfully desired to fight for another.  It is a hallowed expression about the undeniable resilience of the human spirit; of our irrefutable need to garner HOPE when hope and peace seem distant! 

 

Check out this year's shirt design by the magnificent Chelsea Christensen of Uniformity and Dylan Shaw's aunt!

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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 four 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 struck by the life threatening illness, 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.

This 5K is a powerful yearly tradition, that has created 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 over 75 families this year alone.  Ann Smith, who is Tyler’s mom and the Board Member Chair of the Giving Tree Program, would love to increase the amount that Anything for a Friend matches, which is currently $500/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!

Go the Distance, Michael Bolton

*For those that attended the 1st Annual 5K, few will ever forget Casey Elliott's rendition of this special song, if you did miss it we are so happy to report that Casey has agreed to do it again this year!  Come out and have a life altering experience.

 

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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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2nd Annual F2TF 5K Run /1Mile Walk :

 

5K Run /1 Mile Walk Date: August 9th 2014

 

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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This is how it will work!

  • We will be holding the 2nd annual Anything for a Friend--F2TF 5K on August 9th at Weber State University.
  • *Online Registration will include race and t-shirt: 

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

  • EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION: $20 per person (Until April 9th 2014)
  • SAVE $5 by June 9th: $25 per person
  • By July 12th: $30 (After July 12th all registrations will receive a general t-shirt)
  • Same day registration: $35, (shirt size not guaranteed).
  • 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”) with color specific shirt.  Group registration of 24 and under will be a part of the ANGELS AND AVENGERS TEAM (a team set up to celebrate the fight in all of us--whether you are the one struggling or one of the countless loved ones that are having to watch.)
  • The team totals will be displayed on the website so you will know if you are hitting your goal.

 

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