Happy Friday!
It’s not Track Friday quite yet but we’re officially two weeks out! Since it’s coming up rather quickly and I’ve been getting a lot of questions about it, I wanted to delve a little deeper into Track Friday to give you a better idea of what it’s all about. So here we go — and if I leave something out and your inquiring mind wants to know, please, by all means, make use of the comments section below and I’ll supply you with an informed answer!
What is Track Friday?
Track Friday is a movement. It’s not a corporate sponsored event, it’s not a one-time meetup, it’s not a race. It’s a group of people getting together to run a few laps, miles, or kilometers around the track in the name of helping others. For fun. To show gratitude. To do something different.
Why is it called Track Friday?
Well, let’s back up for a minute and start at the beginning. A brief history lesson for you: In the old days, retail shops opened on the Friday after Thanksgiving at a normal hour, say 10 am, when families and friends wanted to go shopping for one another while many Americans had the day off of work and could spend more time together. As such, after months and months of sales being in the red (meaning the stores owed more money than they had), shoppers made up for the year of losses for the stores and put them in the black. This day after Thanksgiving has come to be known as Black Friday — the day retailers are no longer in the red and make up months and months of monetary loss, and capitalize on holiday spending. Stores saw this opportunity to encourage more traffic into their stores and created more and more selling opportunities — door busters, early bird sales, low prices for high ticket items, etc. You’re probably familiar with at least part of that story…
Anyway, when I worked in retail, my store opened at 8 am and we thought it was ludicrous. That was many years ago. Since then, Black Friday has warped into this horrendous, gluttonous, embarrassing day that now begins on Thursday after Thanksgiving meals for some retailers! It’s disgusting!
Track Friday, then, is a play on words. It takes place the day after Thanksgiving, traditionally known as Black Friday. But to take part in Track Friday, you don’t have to wait in lengthy lines to buy something for someone else that they probably don’t need. Instead, you spend your money on a charity or non-profit organization and head to the track. You get outside, have fun with family and friends, and enjoy quality time together.
How did it start?
Great question. Track Friday started after Hurricane Sandy. This guy, Eric, wanted to do something to help. Anything, really. So he told his buddies he would run a marathon on a track if he could raise $5,000 by Thanksgiving. He raised his money, all right. And then ran a marathon on a track! Thus, Track Friday was born. Check out the excerpt from the December issue of Runner’s World:
Why do you care about it?
Another really good question. I care about it for a few reasons.
1. I’ve worked in retail. It sucks. One year I was in Washington, DC with my entire family for Thanksgiving. We live spread out across the country, coast to coast, so this was a rare occurrence. I had to be back at work for an 8 am shift on the Friday after Thanksgiving. Yeah, on Black Friday. #awesome As it happens, I came down with the flu on Thanksgiving and spent the majority of the day in bed at my brother’s house. It was awful. What was worse, though, was that I felt so obligated to be at work on that Friday — despite being several states away and with a fever of 102˚F — that my husband and I drove back after he ate Thanksgiving dinner with my family. And guess what? I didn’t go to work on Friday. I was too sick.
2. I have family that works in retail. And it sucks!!! We can never get together for Thanksgiving. See #1 above.
3. I care about it because I’m an outdoor enthusiast, I’m a running coach, and there are so many people in need and so many charities and organizations that I would love to donate my time, effort, and money to.
Why should I care about it?
Well I can’t tell you why you should care about it, but I can certainly encourage you to give it a try, right? Think of it this way — if you get involved and raise some money for a cause near and dear to you, head out to the track for a meetup near you, and you don’t have fun? No harm, no foul. You donated some money and lost one day of your life to something you didn’t have fun doing. But what happens if you get involved, raise some money, head to a track, and have a blast doing it? Then maybe it will be worth your time again in the future.
How can I get involved?
Yasssss, this is what I’ve been waiting to hear… You can get involved by checking the Track Friday website for a meetup near you. And if you live near me, you can join me at the Orange High School track for some laps. More details to follow on the Cleveland meetup.
What if I don’t live where there’s a meetup?
Start one! There’s actually a lot more information about this here.
What if I don’t live near a track?
You don’t have to live near a track to participate. Anywhere you can run or walk is great. Your neighborhood, a local park, the trails — anyone, anywhere can participate.
Do I have to fundraise to participate?
Well, yes and no. You don’t have to actively fundraise if you don’t want to, but you should support a cause. If you aren’t comfortable fundraising, you can always just donate to whatever organization you choose and consider yourself supporting the Track Friday plight!
Pro-tip: Want your fundraising to do double duty? Track your miles on the Charity Miles app!
What if my charity isn’t listed?
It’s easy to add a cause if it isn’t already listed on the Razoo page. Click here for more information.
How far do I have to run?
You can run as many miles or laps as you’d like. You can run for 100 meters or 30 kilometers. Think of Track Friday as a Choose Your Own Adventure of running events.
Is this movement for runners only?
Nope. Runners and walkers are all welcome.
Can families and children attend?
Of course! The more the merrier. And you know, little people learn from bigger people. So if you’re out there setting a good example of fitness, community, and leadership, they’ll learn from the best. The children are our future and all that jazz…
Plus if you’ve got out of towners visiting for the holiday, you can encourage them to join in the fun as well! Come one, come all!
So that, my friends, is Track Friday in a nutshell. I encourage you to get involved any way you can. Join me in Cleveland, or find a meetup near you. You can read all about my fundraising activities here, and if you have any more questions for me, shout ’em out. I’m here to help in any way I can. And I better see you Clevelanders at the track!!
Hey Cleveland! If you want to join in the fun but can’t make it to the track, post your selfie using the tags #TrackFriday, #runCLE, and #WeRunCLE!
Have a great weekend, y’all!!
Talk about an easy way to destress over the holidays… go for a run!
