Run Across America. Fight Cancer.

Sign up for the summer of 2023! Start Your Adventure

Join a group of young adults on a 49 day, 4,000 mile relay run across America this summer to raise funds and awareness for young adult cancer. Spend your summer meeting lifelong friends, seeing the country in a new way, and offering hope, inspiration and support to the cancer community along the way.

A lot goes into the 4K for Cancer. Here is a quick snapshot of some important things to know:

Sign Up Process

How do you apply?

It’s easy! Click here to sign up.  You’ll pay a $100 registration fee that counts toward your fundraising minimum.  Not ready to sign on?  Click here and drop your info and we’ll reach out to answer any questions you have!

What are the requirements

Our program is for young adults, 18-28 years old with a love for adventure and giving back!

Logistics

What is the daily mileage covered?

Run anywhere from 6-16 miles per day (avg. 10-12 miles) in a relay-style format.
 

Am I responsible for carrying my own gear?

I don’t know… are you? Just Kidding! Support vehicles will carry gear and luggage. They will also help facilitate the relay too.
 

Where do we stay?

Churches, schools, gyms, YMCA’s, rotary clubs, and the occasional campsite through National Parks – anywhere that provides a safe place for our teams to rest their heads at night.
 

What do we eat?

I hope you like pizza, sandwiches, and granola bars! Don’t worry a home cooked meal is right around the corner – hosts typically provide breakfast and dinner. For lunch, participants seek out food donations from restaurants and grocery stores.
 

Gear

What gear is provided?

All the swag! 2 pairs of running sneakers, 3 running jerseys, 2 pairs of running shorts, and a branded t-shirt, long sleeve shirt, sweatshirt, and duffle bag. Safety is important too! You’ll be given a road ID and two reflective bands at orientation.
 

What else is important to have?

Each 4Ker is different, but there are some must-haves we recommend: sleeping bag, sleeping pad, quick dry towel, toiletries, small pillow. Check out our gear guide if you’re interested in seeing the entire packing list recommendations.

Fundraising

What is the fundraising minimum?

Runners raise $5,000 big ones (or 500,000 pennies). Fundraising tips and tricks, plus frequent check in calls with our awesome staff, will help support your efforts.

Where does the money raised go?

Donations are 100% tax deductible and help provide the Ulman Foundation’s free programs and services supporting young adults facing cancer.

Mission

What type of service events can I expect?

This is where you change lives. Cook a meal, visit a cancer center, chat with patients. You’ll get to share your why and see our community grow.
Leadership

What leadership opportunities are there?

We have 5 different leadership positions – Director (2), Leg Leader (6), Trainer (1-2), Mission Coordinator (1), Media Coordinator (1). Read our leadership guide to learn more about each position.
 

Can I receive college credit through 4K?

You sure can! Check out our credit opportunity site to see how to get started.

COVID-19 Policy

What is the COVID-19 policy for 2023?

At the Ulman Foundation, our highest priority has always been supporting the wellbeing of the community we serve – young adults impacted by cancer and their loved ones, and those who serve them. In the midst of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, protecting physical health – especially that of the most vulnerable – becomes even more important.

The 4K for Cancer unites young adults from different communities to travel cross-country on a journey to inspire, raise hope and awareness, and support the Ulman Foundation’s free programs for young adults impacted by cancer.  We are pleased to have had a safe and successful 2021 4K for Cancer and we’re planning for the same in 2022.  While unlikely, the 4K for Cancer as it is traditionally held could be postponed based on current protocols and guidelines provided by experts in order to ensure the safest environment for the broad Ulman community, .

The Ulman Foundation team has developed “safe to ride and run” criteria based on protocols and guidelines and will continue to evaluate the safety of the 2022 4K for Cancer.  Should the 2023 experience not be able to take part as originally planned participants would have the option to defer to 2024 or participate in an alternate experience.  The alternate experience would be built with the input from riders and runners and based on current recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), our partner hospitals, and state regulations.

Interested in Joining the Fight?

Applications are open for the summer of 2023! Interested? Fill out the form below for more information.

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What Alumni Are Saying

It’s funny, you go in with all these expectations of the miles you’ll run, the places you’ll go, and the people you’re going to run with. You get so caught up in the adventure, that you overlook what’s really going to happen. You are going to grow. You are going to meet people along the way who have been through such heartbreaking and beautiful things, that it will give your life a perspective that you cannot imagine.

You will go places that change your life, your view, and your outlook on what matters. You will be stretched, and challenged in ways you can’t imagine. But when you get to that finish line all those days later, you will be different. You will have changed for the better. 4K is the ultimate dual degree in changing other people’s lives and changing your own. You’ve heard the saying before, but the 4k can be summarized in only one way…people change people.

Seth Rinehart

Team Baltimore 2016, Team New York 2017, & Team Boston 2018

The 4K means a million different things to me. Being a part of a team with 25-30 other people who have been in your shoes and know how hard it is to face cancer makes you feel like you can face those emotions and become stronger. It is humbling to know that with every footstep you take, you are not only growing as an individual, you are also inspiring so many people to get active and healthy. Most of all, you are telling survivors that you believe in their fight.

Lala Grau

Team New York 2015

Where there used to be a cynical, somewhat detached girl, there is now someone who knows there are so many good, honest people, and beautiful places. I have become someone who is slightly less scared to show emotions and who is completely attached to a team I spent an awe-inspiring summer with. The petty things that once bothered me seem so insignificant. When you get the opportunity to see people battling for their lives, with a smile on their face, you really learn to appreciate everything you’re given.

Emily Herold

Team New York 2015

The friends you create on this journey, no matter how long you don’t see them or don’t get to talk to them, where their lives are changing without you, these bonds you have created will never falter. You’ll meet people on the run with such different views, see places you would have never imagined in your wildest dreams existed in America, and you’ll take it in, it may be overwhelming at times, but when you run across that finish line, you’ll learn more about yourself, about your abilities, about what you cherish in relationships, leadership, and come to terms with just how much you as an individual can be an impact in someone else’s life.

Katherine Schaffer

Team Baltimore 2017

Got some questions?

If you are interested in 4K, but still have some questions before applying, reach out to us!