40 for 40 Race for The, 2023

What's the 40 for 40 Race for The? It all started with a writer named John Finkle tweeting that it would be fun to see 40 year old dads compete in a 40 yard dash. I agreed and since I love weird running gimmicks, I decided to do it. I chose my mom's birthday as the date for the race because it felt right to do this in her honor.

The more I talked about it, the more I realized that it shouldn't just be dads or just parents or even just running. I didn't want anyone to feel left out. So we expanded it women, non-binary folks, childless people and added additional categories. In order to include everyone we also had prizes for the silliest run and for the most creative locomotion. In other words, you don't need to run. Just propel yourself forward 40 yards by some means.

Last year's live stream was a ton of fun. Surprisingly, I won, barely beating out the aforementioned Mr. Finkle. Together, we raised $1,300 that went out to six charities chosen by the winning runners and those who donated. Which brings us to the grammar question.

What is called the 40 for 40 Race for The? The what? Exactly. The what is determined by the race winners. Runners placing 1-3 in the traditional race get to designate a portion of the pot to the charity of their choice. Winners of the funniest or most creative runs get to choose charities also. Donors who pick the winning runners also get money donated to the charity of their choice.

So that's the lowdown. This year's race will take place on Sunday, September 10th, 2023. We are recruiting runners and soliciting donations. Runners can be from anywhere in the world. What we'd like from you is to let us know what time you will be running if you will be live streaming your run, or you can record your run to be broadcast during the stream.

In order to be entered as a non-running donor contestant, include a note here stating which runner you think will win. If your runner places in the top three, you will be entered to have money donated to a charity of your choice.