People would be surprised to hear of the many ways our 4K riders and runners hear about the 4K. Typically they hear about 4K through chatting with a friend or alum, scrolling on Social Media, or stumbling across our site. But every once in awhile, we hear of a special way a 4Ker found out about this unique experience.
Meet Courtney Schatz and Carrie Cota. Two 4K runners on Team New York in 2018. Two 4Kers that didn’t find out about the 4K by looking on their phone or through a longtime friend, but simply thanks to the generosity of their community.
For many years Courtney and Carrie’s church would host and provide dinner to 4K Team Seattle in Roundup, MT. One day Courtney and her youngest sister happened to cross paths with the team when running at her local high school. Read their testimonials of how they community helped them find their once in a lifetime trip.
Courtney’s Story
“During my senior year I was running at my high school with my younger sister, Cate, when we saw a group of kids in matching shirts. Being curious we asked them what they were doing, and they told us all about the 4K for Cancer. They told us they were staying at my chuch, St. Benedict’s.
We thought what they were doing was awesome, so we brought some ice cream and Kool-Aid to the church for them. They were incredibly grateful.
Over the years, my church continued to host the 4K teams, leading my little sister, Carrie, to become inspired to participate. When she told me she was interested in the 4K, I immediately knew I wanted to join her.
Now after I have finished 4K, I hear about Cate running cross country in high school and continuing to interact with the 4K team. I can only hope that things will come full circle, and she’ll do the 4K as well. It’s funny how simply asking someone about their matching shirts can change your life completely.”
Carrie’s Story
“4K for Cancer first came through my town when I was working at the community pool in high school. They used our showers every year. As I became closer to college age, I became very interested. While lifeguarding, I remember watching them just enjoying themselves in the pool – doing cool tricks off the diving board before hitting the showers.
The biking group not only uses the pool’s showers, but stays at our church every year. While on the 4K, my sister and I were able to make 4K a little more special for the team coming through our hometown. This year we could understand what it means to gets an amazing meal and welcoming place to stay.
I hope to continue to keep doing this for teams coming through my hometown. Honestly, being in the right place at the right time changed my life because 4K for Cancer changed my life for the better.”
We hope 4K can continue to change lives by being in the right place at the right time. Whether that is our teams, participants, or our blog posts. Apply today: 4Kforcancer.org/apply