Each rider and runner is given a fundraising guide to help them get started. You can help by sharing your participant’s fundraising link within your networks via email or social media, assist in hosting a fundraising event, and see if your company participates in a matching gift program.  If you choose to make any handouts (flyers, business cards, etc.) to help spread the word please make sure you review our branding and logo policy first.

The best way to support your 4K participant is through text messages, emails, and care packages at mail drops. There will be designated mail drops along the route where care packages can be sent. The addresses of these mail drops will be posted on the team pages closer to send off. Participants typically enjoy receiving food in the mail. Great things to include are trail mix, bars, baked goods, and sports drink powders. We highly recommend contacting your participant as to their specific wants or needs they may have on the trip because space is very limited in the vans.

The teams are provided passenger vans to carry their gear and transport the team on rest days. Each van is equipped with a credit card for gas and emergencies. Additionally, the vans have first aid kits, sunscreen, bug spray, water coolers, and food storage. Each team also has a satellite phone if they encounter an emergency situation without cell phone reception.

Along the route, our participants will be provided accommodations by new and old 4K hosts. Hosts include churches, school gyms, community centers, college dorms and/or hotels. Our teams will occasionally camp when they pass through national parks or more rural communities. Ulman will provide each team with enough tents for these occasions. Participants should bring their own sleeping bag, sleeping pad and pillow.

Our teams reach out to the communities they are traveling through for food donations and support. Typically hosts will provide breakfast and/or dinner, but in the event they do not, the team will go out and solicit food donations from local and chain establishments. It’s amazing the generosity our teams receive. In the event there is a town or location where they are unable to get food donated or are unable to get enough donated for the entire team, there is a food budget to assist them.

If you’re interested in providing a meal for your participant’s team, please get in touch with the staff at [email protected]

One program coordinator will travel with each team for the first 3 days of the trip to help them get into a routine. The first day of the trip the coordinators and 4K alumni will drive the vans, so everyone can run or ride. Beginning on the second day each team will assume their responsibilities of driving the vans and securing food donations.

Each day the team will become more self-sufficient with support from the coordinator and gain the confidence they need to continue on their way. While the coordinator does not stay with the team for the duration of the trip, they are always available via phone and email to answer any questions and offer advice. Each team also has two directors who are trained by the Ulman Cancer Fund staff to have a thorough understanding of the policies, procedures, and safety protocol while on the road.

A program coordinator will also visit each team in the middle of their journey. During this mid-trip visit that the coordinator will facilitate a team meeting, check in with participants, and help restock supplies. Alumni will help on the final day to allow all participants to ride or run into their destination city.

Participant spending during the summer can vary immensely, most participants spend an average of $300-500. Food and lodging are donated, which can keep costs low during the summer if participants are mindful of their budget. Typically participants will spend money on souvenirs for friends and family, t-shirts from national parks or cities they visit, stickers for their bikes or water bottles, and postcards. Additional costs for cyclists can include extra tubes for flat tires and maintenance for their bikes. Participants are encouraged to only to take a small amount of cash for places where credit cards aren’t accepted and a debit or credit card for larger expenses or emergencies.

Please review the gear guide to see what is recommended and/or required by staff. Keep in mind the packing list was created to offer recommendations, but not everything is necessary. Participants are allowed to bring one duffel bag (provided by Ulman) and one backpack. Talk to your participant to gauge which items they have, which they will purchase, and which they could use some help acquiring.

The mail drops will be listed each of the teams’ pages on our website about two weeks before Send-Off. Because the mail drops vary from year to year, we do not have a set date as to when they will be available, but they will be listed before the trip begins. It is important to keep in mind that there is limited space in the vans so care packages should be limited to smaller items and food.

We recommend attending the Send-Off and Arrival of your participant. If you choose to meet up with a team on the trip, we ask that you don’t stay at their host, and try to limit your visit to 1 day. During the team’s rest days they often have service events to attend.

No, we do not provide health insurance for our participants. We do require that all of our participants carry a health insurance policy during their trip.