Avalaunch Media’s charitable 5k race and mascot fun run set to return for a 3rd year

The Mascot fun run at the 2022 Avalaunch Gives Back Charity Race. Photo: Avalaunch Media

LEHI, Utah – Avalaunch Media, a digital marketing agency based in Lehi, is hosting its third annual Avalaunch Gives Back 5k charity race and mascot fun run to benefit its scholarship program and the Water for Life charity.

The 5k charity race is scheduled on September 30, at the Wheeler Historic Farm in Salt Lake City, with registration beginning at 8 a.m. Before the 5k, there will be a one-mile mascot fun run, with BYU’s Cosmo the Cougar, UVU’s Willie the Wolverine, and Avalaunch’s mascot Eddie the Yeti all participating.

Although registration for the race can be done in-person the day of, participants are encouraged to register online to ensure a smoother process as well as guarantee a T-shirt in the correct size. There is a small registration fee of $15 for the fun run and $30 for the 5k for each participant. Online registration can be completed on the Avalaunch race website.

The mascot fun run is open to everyone and offers an excellent chance for families to race their favorite mascot and participate in a charitable initiative. The mascot fun run is scheduled to begin before the 5k, starting at 9 a.m.

The main event of the day, the 5k race, will begin after the fun run, starting at 9:30 a.m. The race will take place throughout Wheeler Farms, providing contestants with a flat and fast terrain.

The 5k race will be a chip-timed event, providing an opportunity for runners to challenge themselves and achieve their personal best.

Awards will be given to the top-three overall male and female participants, as well as the top-three male and female finishers in various age groups.

All participants can also look forward to receiving a gift bag, as well as a post-race breakfast and award ceremony.

All proceeds of the event will benefit Avalaunch Media’s scholarship program and the Midway based Water for Life charity. Avalaunch Media’s scholarship program is apart of their give back initiative, and for over a decade Avalaunch has provided scholarships to Utah students enrolled in a marketing, communications, or creative arts program at a two or four year university.

The winners of the 2023 Avalaunch scholarship were recently announced last month. Avalaunch is trying to raise $10,000 for their scholarship program in 2024, which will be distributed to five different Utah students.

The Water for Life charity, which was founded in 2017 by James Brown, drills wells and supplies water filters to countries that lack clean and safe drinking water. Water for Life Charity has sent filters to countries throughout Africa, the Middle East, Europe, and Central and South America.

In Heber City last year, Water for Life held a gala to raise money for clean drinking water for Ukrainians whose access to clean water was disrupted by the war.

Water For Life’s proceeds from this event will be used for two projects, as Brown and Water for Life are trying to send 2,000 filters to Guatemala to provide safe drinking water, in addition to helping develop a Tanzanian orphanage’s water system to provide clean and accessible water.

The founder of the Avalaunch Gives Back 5k, Aaron Marks, a client strategist at Avalaunch, started this event three years ago after receiving tremendous support for a different charitable 5k he was participating in.

“I was actually doing the New York City Marathon for the Michael J. Fox Foundation, Team Fox, in 2021, and I had to raise $5,500,” Marks said. “I went to Avalaunch and I said, hey, I’m doing this event, and I need to raise some money, and I asked if I could promote it around the office. Avalaunch then said we want to sponsor it, and we surpassed the $5,500 that we needed to raise for Michael J. Fox Foundation.”

“We then brought James (Brown) in, and he also works for Avalaunch doing business development, and he runs Water for Life. We brought him in to be a partner in this event, and that’s really how James and I started working together on this.”

This is the second year half of the race’s proceeds have gone towards Brown’s Water for Life charity, which has been a large source of fundraising for the charity.

For more information about the event and to register, please visit the Avalaunch race webpage.