The very first Tag 4 A Cause Laser Tag 5K Challenge supporting the Lustgarten Foundation Pancreatic Cancer Research will continue to be an opportunity for fitness and fundraising through laser tag during the entire month of November! It got off to a great start and I was able to complete my personal 5K challenge while hosting an event with thanks to Apex Entertainment in Albany, NY.
November is Pancreatic Cancer Awareness month and that made this a timely opportunity to encourage others to help make a difference by donating to the cause while pledging to laser tag the equivalent of 5K (or 3.1 miles) by tracking their own cumulative distance over the course of several games of laser tag. How many games would it take for me to get to 5K? We would soon find out! Wearing s purple ribbon on my laser tag pack I was ready to begin the challenge.
And I wasn’t alone in taking on this challenge. Although the games to complete the challenge would be played with public groups throughout a busy Saturday afternoon, I was met right at the start of the day by TJH (from the alternative punk band “Straight Edge Punks”) who was the first player to join me in taking on his own laser tag 5K challenge. Props to him for being the first!
We tracked our steps together through several games as I measured my own personal distance on my Fitbit (although you can use any fitness tracker or phone app as a pedometer) and within only three games we had hit the first milestone mark getting to 1K.
Various groups played throughout the day as the challenge continued.
This provided an excellent opportunity for raising awareness. Prior to each game I was able to let the players know that this is Pancreatic Cancer Awareness month and to symbolize this everyone was offered a free purple ribbon. They were also welcome to take a glow in the dark TiviachickLovesLaserTag.com wristband.
Games continued and before long I had hit the 2K mark.
And each step of the way I was live blogging and posting updates and awareness via social media. I shared my personal reasons for supporting this particular cause. My big brother, Guy, passed away from pancreatic cancer in 2012. I kept his photo on display so that people would know that this day I was there to laser tag in memory of my brother.
Every step of the way we got closer to the goal, keeping track of the cumulative distance on a display board in the lobby.
Closer and closer…
…arriving at the 4K mark playing alongside this group.
And
a couple of games later I completed the challenge as I hit the 5K goal!
However, with a couple of hours remaining in the day I decided to see how much further I could go. As another member of the S.E.P. group joined the Tag 4 A Cause challenge a bit later in the day we had to keep it going so that he could reach his goal as well. After all, pledging to laser tag 5K and donating to the cause is how you earn one of these victory medals!
By the time the arena was ready to close I had completed 15 games and come within .03 miles of hitting the 7K mark…so close!!!! So even though the night was over I asked the game marshal to run one more partial game for the three of us who were still there, just to play long enough to cover that tiny bit of distance. So the 16th game only last a couple of minutes, but put me over the 7K mark and getting these two guys to the completion of their challenge goals as well.
This was an amazing opportunity to bring some attention to the pancreatic cancer research. One of the reasons that I selected the Lustgarten Foundation Pancreatic Cancer Research as the recipient of support from Tag 4 A Cause is because their website proudly affirms that “Thanks to separate funding to support administrative expenses, 100 percent of every donation goes directly to research.” (lustgarten.org)
And for the entire month of November I will continue to host the challenge online for anyone to complete in ANY laser tag arena on their own. Want to get involved and help make a difference during Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month? Here’s how in three easy steps...
- Pledge to laser tag the distance of a 5K in the laser tag
arena of your choice anytime during the month of November. It’s like a
virtual run/walk fundraiser, only you laser tag instead and measure your
own cumulative distance using a fitness tracker or phone app. It might
take approximately 10-12 games to reach the equivalent of 5K (or 3.1 miles)
and can be done all in one day or over multiple days at your own pace.
Please share your results!
- Donate (suggested donation $20.00 or more) to the Lustgarten
Foundation Pancreatic Cancer Research using my fundraiser page at https://events.lustgarten.org/fundraiser/3001017.100 percent of every
donation goes directly to research!
- Claim your victory medal by submitting the confirmation
number from your receipt to verify your donation using the online form
found at https://www.tiviachickloveslasertag.com/laser-tag-5k-challenge-nov-2020 and celebrate your 5K
achievement with this token of my thanks for your participation and
donation. *Medals are available in limited quantities for the first 50
participants who donate and submit the form. Due to shipping costs, medals
will only be sent to U.S. mailing addresses, but digital certificates will
be emailed to participants outside of the U.S.
Comments
or Questions?
Contact: Tivia@tiviachickloveslasertag.com
Websites: www.tiviachickloveslasertag.com and www.photonforever.com
