The 2022 Summit for Life is in-person AND virtual! Join us for this year's 17th Annual "Kickoff to Winter!"
The Chris Klug Foundation's annual Summit for Life is a nighttime uphill race up Aspen Mountain, and one of the biggest fundraisers of the year for the Chris Klug Foundation (CKF). Our mission is to raise awareness of the lifesaving gift of organ, eye and tissue donation. By participating in Summit for Life (S4L), you are helping us spread this message and make a difference for the 106,000 people awaiting a transplant in the United States today. Each participant who raises the $100 minimum—either in-person or virtually—will receive a racer bag that includes gift cards, CKF swag, prizes, and more! (Don't feel limited by the fundraising minimum, we encourage racers to go above and beyond! We are here to support your efforts--please reach out to us for ideas, strategies, tips, tricks, and tools!)
IN-PERSON SUMMIT FOR LIFE:
Participants will meet in Gondola Plaza at the base of the mountain at 5pm MT, and begin racing at 5:30! Hike, skin, or snowshoe your way up the 3,267 vertical feet to the top of Aspen Mountain, in the heart of the Rocky Mountains, in beautiful Aspen, Colorado.
The post-race party will be returning to the Sundeck Restaurant this year! Once you've made it to the summit, join us inside and enjoy dinner provided by The Little Nell, live music, and an awards ceremony where we will be honoring our 2020, 2021, and 2022 Bounce Back Give Back Award recipients. We'll also be presenting our top fundraisers and top race finishers with their (much-deserved!) awards. If you're participating in our virtual Summit for Life race, make sure to tune into the awards ceremony LIVE, which will be streamed in real time from the Sundeck, starting at 8pm MST.
You can also register with your buddies as a team! If you belong to a gym, work for a company, volunteer with an organization...you name it. Get a group of your friends, family, co-workers, volunteer buddies, gym partners, etc together, pick a team name, and start training for the climb to raise awareness for organ, eye, and tissue donation!
All registered participants will receive a commemorative 2022 Summit for Life T-shirt and neck buff with their registration.
*Note: Health and safety remain a top priority for the Chris Klug Foundation and our Summit for Life event. Due to the ever-changing nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are working in close partnership with Aspen Skiing Company and public health officials in Pitkin County to ensure appropriate health and safety protocols. We will be sending any updates to all registered 2022 S4L participants, if changes are necessary.
VIRTUAL SUMMIT FOR LIFE:
As a 2022 Summit for Life virtual participant, you decide how you want to virtually "summit" Aspen Mountain, anywhere and anytime: whether it's hiking up a hill, using the stair-master, running at an incline on the treadmill—the possibilities are endless! Climb the 3,267-vertical-foot ascent at your own pace and on your own time. This year's Summit for Life event starts on November 24th and ends on December 3rd, with a livestream of the in-person S4L post-race awards ceremony on our Facebook page and YouTube channel!
The equivalent of Aspen Mountain's 3,267-vertical-foot ascent is 5,600 steps or 273 flights of stairs. You can climb stairs, flights of stairs, or even dust off that old stair climber in the corner of your gym—as long as you log the feet (or meters), it's completely up to you! Pro tip: you don't have to run or walk each day (phew!), you just have to finish the total vertical ascent in ten days. You'll be able to log your feet/meters, track your progress, and check the leaderboard daily. We'll also be sharing the best photos that you guys post on social media, so wear something fun, snap a pic or take a video, tag us, and give a shoutout to CKF and organ donation!
You can have a team for the virtual race, too! Sign up with your friends and take on the virtual ten-day challenge together.
As a registered participant, you will receive a commemorative 2022 Summit for Life T-shirt and neck buff with your registration.
RIDE FOR LIFE (IN-PERSON):
Skip the uphill hike and ride the Silver Queen Gondola straight to the top of Aspen Mountain! Greet your friends, cheer on the racers, and join us for the post-race party at the Sundeck.
SUMMIT FOR LIFE EVENT SCHEDULE:
Thursday, November 24 - Saturday, December 3rd: Virtual Summit for Life
This year's virtual Summit for Life event starts on November 24th and ends on December 3rd, giving participants ten days to complete the 3,267-vertical-foot challenge and fundraise on behalf of CKF. On the night of the in-person event, we will be live-streaming our awards ceremony on our Facebook page and YouTube channel. Tune in to see if you are one of our top racers or fundraisers. Registration for the virtual Summit for Life ends on December 3rd at 1pm MST.
Saturday, December 3rd: In-Person Summit for Life
In this exciting event, participants race from the base of Aspen Mountain all the way to the top! Racers will climb 3,267 vertical feet, over the course of 2.5 miles—at night! All participants will receive a racer bag valued at over $100 in prize giveaways and top racers and fundraisers will be awarded for their efforts with amazing prizes! Dinner will be provided at the Sundeck Restaurant by The Little Nell, with a live-streamed awards show post-race, presented by liver transplant recipient and Olympic medalist, Chris Klug.
Saturday, December 3rd: Ride for Life
Saturday, December 3rd: Summit for Life Live Show
2022 WINE & DINE:
In case you missed it, CKF’s coveted Wine & Dine dinner bash was held on Friday, August 26th at the Snowmass Club! This year's Wine & Dine had it all: an outdoor cocktail hour, open bar, 3-course meal, silent auction, live music, 3 Bounce Back Give Back Award winners, and beautiful views of scenic Snowmass Village.
If you have any questions about this race, click the button below.
100% of fundraising, donations, and net proceeds will go to benefit the Chris Klug Foundation!
The Chris Klug Foundation (CKF) advocates for organ, eye & tissue donation by educating others on its importance, inspiring those touched by donation and registering more organ donors nationwide.
As a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit located in the tiny town of Aspen, Colorado, we definitely have our work cut out for us. But it's through the awesome enthusiasm and kindness of our supporters that we thrive (18 years strong!) and accomplish our goals. Right now in the United States, approximately 108,000 people are awaiting a lifesaving transplant, with another name added every 10 minutes. On average, 20 people die each day from a lack of available organs for transplant. Although 95% of Americans support organ donation, only 54% are registered as organ donors. We want to change this. We want to eliminate the wait for a second chance at life through registering, educating, and inspiring more people nationwide. Your tax-deductible donation will help us accomplish this goal and save lives.
IN-PERSON SUMMIT FOR LIFE:
Registration for the in-person Summit for Life uphill event is $50. Price of registration increases to $75 starting November 28th. Each participant has a minimum fundraising commitment of $100, but...if you fundraise more than the minimum, your name is entered for a chance to win a SUPER awesome prize in our Summit for Life prize giveaway! On top of that, each time you fundraise $25 over $100, your name is re-entered into the giveaway! That means the more you fundraise, the higher chance you have of winning a great prize! (Ex: if you fundraise $300, your name gets added to the pool EIGHT times!) Your registration fee also gets refunded when you fundraise more than $400. Boom. That's right. Move over fundraising minimum, 'cause you've got competition.
Registered participants who do not reach the $100 fundraising minimum by Monday, December 12th will be charged the remaining funds. This also applies to those who register for the uphill and do not participate.
VIRTUAL SUMMIT FOR LIFE:
Registration for the virtual Summit for Life uphill race is $25. Price of registration increases to $50 starting November 28th. Each participant has a minimum fundraising commitment of $100, but...if you fundraise more than the minimum, your name is entered for a chance to win a SUPER awesome prize in our Summit for Life prize giveaway! On top of that, each time you fundraise $25 over $100, your name is re-entered into the giveaway! That means the more you fundraise, the higher chance you have of winning a great prize! (Ex: if you fundraise $300, your name gets added to the pool EIGHT times!) Your registration fee also gets refunded when you fundraise more than $200.
Registered participants who do not reach the $100 fundraising minimum by Monday, December 12th will be charged the remaining funds. This also applies to those who register for the virtual uphill and do not participate.
All 2022 Summit for Life fundraising goes toward the Chris Klug Foundation. We are extremely grateful for all the efforts you put into fundraising for our organization. We may be small, but we are mighty, and your support gives us that strength. To learn more about where your donations go, please visit https://chrisklugfoundation.org/financials.
Hey, as a nonprofit, we get it: asking for money is hard. That's why we're sharing some of our best tips and tricks for successful fundraising:
The most important thing to remember is that fundraising is all about helping others connect an existing passion of theirs directly to your cause.
For the Summit for Life in-person race, prizes will be awarded to the fastest three participants in the following categories:
For the Summit for Life virtual race, prizes will be awarded to the fastest participant in each category:
A group prize will be awarded to the fastest team across both in-person AND virtual races:
Now...for the fundraisers who go above and beyond for CKF and our cause! Prizes will be awarded to the three individuals who fundraise the most amount of dollars across both in-person AND virtual races:
And, of course, teamwork makes the dream work! We'd be remiss if we didn't recognize the power of working together as a team, so a group prize will be awarded to the team that fundraises the most across both in-person AND virtual races:
There will be several other prizes awarded to individuals who go above and beyond with their fundraising efforts, including:
Finally, new this year we will have several fun extra awards for those there for a good time:
Do I have to be in/from Colorado to do the virtual Summit for Life event?
No, you do not have to be in or from Colorado to do the virtual Summit for Life event. Anyone can participate, no matter where you live!
How do I record my vertical ascent if I'm doing Summit for Life virtually?
You can record your vertical ascent in feet or meters using this link: https://runsignup.com/Race/RegistrationLookup/?raceId=98150&renderMode=results_mode. You can do it daily or you can do it at the end of the ten days. Whatever works for you!
For the virtual uphill, do I have to run/walk up an actual mountain, hill, slope, etc.?
No! You can run or walk up flights of stairs at your house, on the stair-master, at an incline on the treadmill—any way you can get those vertical feet or meters!
Does my vertical ascent count before November 25th, if I'm participating in the virtual Summit for Life uphill?
No, the only feet/meters that count are the ones you complete between November 25th to December 4th. Results must be in by 1:00 PM MT on December 4th!
Can I run/walk multiple times a day as part of my vertical ascent for the virtual uphill?
Yes, dividing up your vertical ascent several times a day counts too!
Common Troubleshooting Questions for Recording Vertical Ascent
For the virtual Summit for Life, I need to record a second race entry towards my total vertical ascent, but I keep submitting it and my first entry disappears. How do I fix it?
In this example, you are overwriting your first race entry. Instead, keep the data the same for the first entry and click 'Add Another Activity' in order to add your second entry. You will continue to do this every time you add another entry.
I got my link, but I'm confused on how to log my vertical ascent for the virtual uphill.
Use the 'Participant Lookup' page to look up your race registration: https://runsignup.com/Race/RegistrationLookup/?raceId=98150&renderMode=results_mode.
I did not get my link. How do I log my vertical ascent for the virtual Summit for Life?
Some email servers block our emails to you. If you do not have your daily link, you can use this link: https://runsignup.com/Race/RegistrationLookup/?raceId=98150&renderMode=results_mode. Keep in mind, you MUST BE LOGGED INTO THE RUNSIGNUP ACCOUNT THAT YOU USED TO REGISTER FOR THE RACE BEFORE YOU DO ANY OF THE STEPS IN THE VIDEO. (You can now also log your vertical ascent using your email or phone number without being logged in).
When I search my name, it does not come up to enter virtual results or it says I don't have permission?
You must be logged into the same RunSignup account that you registered with.
I don't see the date when I try to log my results for the virtual uphill. Why not?
Once you get to the 'Results' page, you must click 'Add Another Activity'. You must do this every time you log a new activity. The time and distance on the right is the total time and distance of your vertical ascent. This will be added automatically to your total vertical ascent and percentage completed.
I completed another section of my vertical ascent today towards the virtual Summit for Life. How do I enter a second entry of results?
On the 'Results' page, choose 'Add Another Activity'. DO NOT OVERWRITE THE PREVIOUS ACTIVITY OR IT WILL DISAPPEAR. Each time you complete a section of your vertical ascent, you must click 'Add Another Activity'. For example, if you completed a portion of your ascent once per day over 4 days, you will see all 4 activities in the 'Submit Results' page at the end of your ascent.
I made a mistake on entering my results. How do I change it?
You can go in and overwrite the mistake. Do not re-enter it again correctly. You must overwrite the incorrect data.
I entered my results, but I don't see them in the listing.
The results may take a few minutes to update after they are entered.
Someone else registered me under their account. How do I move my registration to my own account?
Here is a link to an article that will explain how to move a sub-account over to another user. Follow the section titled: "Transfer Sub-Account To Another Existing Account": https://help.runsignup.com/support/solutions/articles/17000062878-access-manage-a-sub-account.
I am listed as anonymous in the results. Why?
When you create an account, you have an option to be listed as anonymous in the results. If you do not want this, go into your RunSignup profile and click 'Edit Profile'. You will see a checkbox at the bottom that you must UNCHECK to be listed publicly.
If you have any additional questions, please contact info@chrisklugfoundation.org.
Live Phone Tracking, GPS Progress Alerts and Cheers!
We are providing you with RaceJoy as part of the official race experience for the 2022 Summit for Life.
Download the RaceJoy mobile app in advance to ensure proper phone setup. Invite your friends and family to track you and send you cheers!
Some key RaceJoy features include:
Additional race information can be found at http://www.summitforlife.com.
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