Track Friday Takes a Stand Against Pediatric Cancer

On November 28^th, runners and walkers across the country participated in the third annual Track Friday, a fitness-meets-fundraising movement held the day after Thanksgiving in which participants can support any charity, raise any amount, and run or walk any distance, anywhere.

Track Friday encourages participants to form meetups at local tracks to get people involved. This year, Kristin and Don Steinmetz, along with fellow owner Jason Chandlers of CrossFit Treehouse in Kenilworth, NJ, organized a workout at the local high school track to benefit Max Cure Foundation.
To support the movement, participants were asked to make a donation to MCF, or any charity of their choice. CFTH also set up a Dunk Your Kicks drop at their gym throughout the month of November and partnered with the NJ Running Company’s Westfield store to collect sneakers. Westfield Running Company even kicked in an extra dollar for every pair of shoes raised in the month of November!

Together, CFTH and WRC raised over $500 and collected over 200 pairs of sneakers for MCF! Overall, Track Friday 2014 participants everywhere raised over $23,000 for 45 charities!

Track Friday was founded in 2012 after Hurricane Sandy made landfall on the Jersey Shore. Its founder, Eric Rubinson, wanted to find a way to support the Hurricane relief efforts in his community—and by more than just writing a check. He issued an informal challenge to his friends and family: if they could collectively raise $5,000 for local charities supporting relief efforts by Thanksgiving, he would head over to his old high school track on Black Friday and run a marathon.

As word spread, people not only wanted to donate, but many wanted to join on the track, even for just a lap or two. They reached the $5,000 goal in just nine days. By the time Thanksgiving came, they’d generated over $22,000 for charities and had over 30 runners and walkers in four states. Track Friday was born.

“I think “Track Friday” has resonated because it helps kick off the season of giving, and it adds a charitable aspect to a day that has become associated with commercialism and doorbuster deals,” said Eric. “It’s great for non-profits because it is a simple concept that anyone—regardless of age, size, or athletic ability—can participate in.”

Head over to www.trackfriday.org to learn more. You’ll find everything you need to get ready for Track Friday 2015! You can also like Track Friday on Facebook (facebook.com/trackfriday) for updates and to learn about participants and causes, and upcoming events.

If you share our goal making fundraising easy, then please join us in turning “Black Friday” into “Track Friday,” a day focused on charity, community, and health.