ASK Dad Endurance Gauntlet for ASK Childhood Cancer Foundation
For years, I’ve challenged myself in wild ways to raise funds for the ASK 5K & Fun Walk — from ice buckets to hot wings ( https://www.youtube.com/live/Q43lyEWBQ9s?si=4Vu4CvBWFnp9sNXB)— and every time it’s been worth it because it all goes to support kids and families fighting pediatric cancer.
Our family’s journey with ASK began when our daughter, Charlotte, was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) in October 2018. Her treatment was long and grueling — weekly chemotherapy, lumbar punctures, dozens of ER visits, surgeries, loss of hair multiple times and infections that just wouldn’t quit. After 2½ years of treatment, she finally entered remission in January 2021. While we count ourselves lucky, we also know too many families who have faced even harder battles. That’s why we fundraise — to help all the ASK kids and families on the front lines.
The ASK Childhood Cancer Foundation’s ASK 5K & Fun Walk isn’t just a race — it’s a community coming together to support children facing cancer in Virginia and beyond, and to raise funds for vital programs that help these families through treatment and beyond.
This year, I’m taking things to a whole new level with the ASK Dad Endurance Gauntlet — a tiered livestream challenge designed to test endurance, heat tolerance, and sheer stubbornness… all for pediatric cancer. Every time we hit a fundraising milestone, I take on the next challenge. Not messy. Not random. Just stuff that hurts more than the last thing — and all for an incredible cause.
Stage 1 – Initial Heat & Hit the Ground Running
$250 — Spicy Ramen Bowl
You know it’s happening when ramen burns harder than your workout.
$500 — Spoon of Wasabi / Horseradish
Instant regret in every bite.
$750 — Spicy Jelly Bean Roulette (3 beans)
Is it mild, hot, or deadly? Roulette decides.
Stage 2 – Enter Physical Pain
$1,000 — 1‑Minute Wall Sit
Legs hate this from the start.
$1,500 — Raw Onion Slice + Hot Sauce
Psychological AND physical heat.
$2,000 — Plank – 2 minutes
Core already questioning life choices.
Stage 3 – Heat Meets Endurance
$3,000 — Reaper Gummy Bear / Death Nut
This is where it stops being playful.
$4,000 — Ice Packs on Neck + Back – 5 minutes
Cold shock without the cleanup.
$5,000 — Carolina Reaper Noodles / 3 Spoons Extreme Sauce
The true successor to last year’s wings.
Stage 4 – Harder Still
$6,000 — Wall Sit – 3 minutes
Legs strictly disagree.
$7,000 — Big Spoon of Wasabi
Green nightmare, round two.
$8,000 — 40 Burpees
Cardio calls, and it’s yelling.
$9,000 — Wall Sit – 5 minutes
Legs and mind both in rebellion.
Stage 5 – The Final Boss — $10,000
10 Minutes of Stacked Endurance
At the same time:
This is the boss level of the Gauntlet — and we’re raising every dollar for kids with cancer.
Why It Matters
Every dollar you donate through this page goes straight to supporting ASK and the programs that help children and families affected by pediatric cancer. Whether it’s emotional support, financial help during treatment, family events, or everyday encouragement, ASK stands with these families when they need it most.
Charlotte’s story isn’t over, and neither is the need to support the community that helped us through some of the hardest years of our lives. Your donation makes life better for kids like her right now — and gives hope to the next family that needs it.
Because no child should face cancer alone.
