Hot Buns Run

I’m excited to announce the 2013 Hot Buns Run virtual 5K!

If you have been following along with me for any amount of time, you know that I have set a pretty aggressive goal for myself for the 2013 Portland Marathon.  It is my goal to not only complete the marathon, but to do so in a time (3:15:00) that would qualify me for the Boston Marathon.  It’s an aggressive goal considering that a year ago I wasn’t even really running.  But each week I get more confident that I can do this!

Why the virtual 5K?  Along with wanting to qualify for Boston, I felt it was time to start giving back a little.  So I joined up with Team in Training to help raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.  This organization means a little something more to me and my family.  About 20 years ago I lost my grandfather to a form of leukemia.  And just recently, my wife lost her grandfather to a similar ailment.  This really was a no brainer for us.  Our minimum goal is $1500 by the time of the Portland Marathon.  But I want to blow that out of the water.  You know me, go big or go home.

I’ve teamed up with a buddy of mine out of the Philadelphia area, Andy Aubin.  He hosted the Chilly Cheeks 5K to raise money for The American Cancer Society and it was a great success.  When I mentioned what I was wanting to do he quickly jumped on board.  And I’m very glad he did!

At this time we are still finalizing a few of the details, but here is the information as we have it now:

When is it?

The dates we have chosen are Friday, July 19th, through Sunday, July 21st, 2013.  You can run your 5K any time during those dates.

What exactly is a virtual 5K?

I’ve been asked this several times already.  It’s actually quite simple.  You sign up for the race just like you would any other event.  The main difference is that you can run it any place you want during the specified time frame.  You can run it on the treadmill at the gym, on the track at your local high school, your favorite trail or road course…literally anywhere you want.  Then after you are done you will submit your race information to us via email.  We also encourage you to share any pictures and stories from your race so that we may share with others.

What do I have to do to participate?

You simply sign up online.  Then run your race during the specified time frame and submit your results to us, via email, along with any other information you want to share.  We will take care of the rest.

What do you get for participating?

Each participant gets a one of kind Hot Buns Run finisher’s medal (still being designed, will share when ready).  Plus we will be having uniquely designed racing bibs that will be emailed to everyone. You can just print it out and use it for your race.  And of course, you get the immense satisfaction in know that you are spreading awesome in the world by helping out a great cause.  All proceeds above expenses will be going directly to Team in Training/Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

What about swag?

Oh, don’t worry, we are working non stop to get awesome race swag.  So far we have received confirmations from the companies listed below who have agreed to supply us with products that we will use as prizes in a give-a-way after the completion of the event.  Once we have a semi finalized list of products we will put something together for everyone to see.

Honey Stingers, Headsweats, Daily Mile, Pro Compression, Body Glide, Run Chat, Allied Medal Displays, Spibelt, Shubeez, Gu, Hydrapak, Road ID, Today’s Miles, King Oscar Sardines and Season For Wellness Massage Therapy.

I also have a couple special things that I will be giving away.  As some of you may know, I’m a big fan of Steve Prefontaine.  We are from the same home town (Coos Bay, OR) and went to the same high school, just about 20 years apart.  A gentleman I know is in the process of doing a documentary called Pre’s People.  I reached out to him to see if he could help me get my hands on something related to Pre.  He was able to provide me with 10 replicas of the poster of what was Pre’s final meet.

I will also be giving away one copy of Engineering  the Alpha: A Real-World Guide to an Unreal Life by Adam Bornstein and John Romaniello, foreward by Arnold Schwarzenegger.

How much is this going to cost?

The cost of the 5K is $25.  We will also have an option for the younger runners to do a 1 mile fun run for $15.

How do I sign up?

Simply click on the sign up link below and it will take you to the site to register.  We will be using Paypal for the processing of payments to ensure a safe and secure transaction.

What if I want to help but don’t want to race?

And miss out on a chance to win free stuff?  No, we understand, not everyone likes to run.  If you want to donate but not run we would be thrilled with any support you can give.  You can simply go to my Team in Training donation site where you can make a donation directly to the cause.

What exactly is this for?

As I mentioned, I joined Team in Training for the Portland Marathon.  I’m raising money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society in honor of mine and my wife’s grandfathers who both passed away from Leukemia related diseases.  All money, beyond expenses, generated through this event will go directly to Team in Training.  My minimum goal is $1500 but I believe we are going to blow that away.

Big news!

Another major announcement we have related to this is that we have received confirmation that Charity Miles is going to be helping us promote this.

If you are not familiar with Charity Miles, you should definitely check them out.  Simply put, they have partnered with organizations to “sponsor” active people and generate money for charities.  You just download their app for either your apple or android product and when you use it you “donate” money to the charity of your choice they have contracted with.  You do the activity and then the sponsoring corporation does the donating.  You get credited $0.25 per mile for walking or running and $0.10 per mile for cycling.  This is all tracked via the GPS in your electronic device of choice that is GPS enabled.  I use this every time I run outside now.

We strongly encourage you to use the Charity Miles app when doing your virtual 5K.  You are essentially donating twice for the same cause.  You don’t even have to use the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society as your charity when using the app.  They have some outstanding charities to choose from.  All very reputable.

Most of the information regarding the event should be covered above.  But if you have any other questions please do not hesitate to contact us: healthyfourlife2012@gmail.com

We hope you will consider running with us for this great cause.

For the 5K race please use:

Here are the links that will take you to Paypal where you can complete your sign up.  After clicking the “Buy Now” button you will be taken to a screen that will allow you to select how many entries you wish to purchase.  On the check out page, you will notice a “Special Instructions” section.  If you are purchasing for more than one person,  please provide the names and email addresses (if they need to be contacted separately from you) for each race participant.  I will then contact them directly for their information in case they are selected for one of our awesome prizes.  Once completed, you will be notified by email.  You should receive a welcome email from us also confirming we have received your entry.

For the 1 Mile Kids Fun Run please use:

As I mentioned, there is also a 1 Mile Kids Fun Run.  We understand that some of the younger runners love to help out with these as much as the adults, but sometimes a full 5K is just not doable for them.  So we have a shorter option for them, at a reduced rate, that still allows them to help and qualifies them for any of the give-a-ways.

Thanks to each and every one of you for joining us to help raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.  Although we may never meet most of you in person, we truly appreciate each and every one of you!

Lonnie & Roni St John and Andy Aubin