Skip to main content

Announcing the PyCon 2013 5K Charity Fun Run

The second annual PyCon 5K Charity Fun Run will be happening Saturday March 17th, 2013 at 7:00 AM. Last year was a lot of fun with a lot of people coming out (148!), and we raised nearly $6,000 for three great charities: Autism Speaks, the American Cancer Society, and the Epilepsy Foundation.

The 2013 Fun Run proceeds benefit two funds which hit close to home for the Python community. Matplotlib creator John Hunter passed away in August after a battle with colon cancer, leaving behind a wife and three young children. The John Hunter Memorial Fund and American Cancer Society will split the proceeds, with the memorial fund going toward the education of John’s daughters, and the cancer society collecting funds to fight all types of cancers.

Note the name - “fun run”. It’s not really a race, it’s barely a competition. There’s no prize, there’s no finish line tape. The real winners are the memorial fund and cancer society. Sure, some people will wear fancy shoes and headbands, but it’s really just a chance to get outside, do something physical, and raise money for some great causes. It’s an event for everyone.

Last year we had a pretty diverse group with some serious runners, some casual joggers, some who had never run in a race, some who walked, and everything in between. Thanks to Michael McHugh, we got pictures at the halfway point.

If you’re interested in really getting into it, some of last year’s runners found the “Couch to 5K” program helpful in starting a running routine. Fun Run organizer Jacob Kaplan-Moss and conference chairman Jesse Noller both used it with great success!

The Fun Run is a “pay what you want” event. You can just show up and run if you really want to. $20 gets you a nice t-shirt (last year’s had the excellent Idan Gazit snake design!) Anything above that goes to John’s memorial and the ACS.

C25K worked so well that Jesse is even offering to pull the top donor in a cart for the “run”!

Sign up for the 2013 Fun Run at 
http://pycon20135k.eventbrite.com/ and help us top 2012!

Comments