Independent Animal Rescue Fast and Furriest 5K

We Did It!!

Our amazing Fast and Furriest 5K participants raised a grand total of $42,793.76 to benefit IAR! Not only did we exceed our $40,000 goal, but we also more than doubled our original goal of $20,000!

We had 98 participants registered for the Fast and Furriest Virtual 5K and the average amount raised by each participant was $235. The average donation amount was about $78. Every donation adds up to this impressive total. We also had a $10,000 matching donation that took our goal from $30,000 to $40,000.

Thank you to each and every person who registered, fundraised, and donated. The money raised from the event will sustain IAR’s lifesaving rescue work and provide medical care, food, shelter and, ultimately, second chances to animals in need.

Congratulations to our 3 most creative 5K participants who won $25 Amazon gift cards for their submissions!

Mark Smith: 5K Challenge: Performed a Concert for the Animals and sang five sets of five songs which all included mention of various animals.

Zen For Your Zoo: 5K Challenge: Hiked a 5K on five different local greenways, with each of hike dedicated to one of the feral cats fed by IAR.

Dina & Rich: 5K Challenge: Completed a 5K round-trip walk across NYC's Hudson River in honor of all the animals that IAR rescues.

Welcome to Independent Animal Rescue's Fast and Furriest Virtual 5K!

Virtual what?! The Fast and Furriest Virtual 5K is not your average 5K for charity. You can do a traditional 5 kilometer walk/run or you can come up with your own "5K" challenge, get sponsors, and have fun while raising money for IAR.

Here's how it works.

1.  Register for the event as an individual or join/create a team. Registration is $35 and includes an event T-shirt. If you register between Feb 15 and March 10 we guarantee you will get a T-shirt by March 27!

2.  After registering, you will get your own fundraising page that you can customize with images and content, including your "5K" goal, fundraising goal, why you are participating and more.

• For example: Your 5K goal could be to run 5 kilometers or it could be to read 500 pages, knit 5000 stitches, do 5 handstand pushups, or whatever clever spin you can put on the 5K challenge! Including your pet is highly encouraged!

3.  Reach out to your family, friends, coworkers, and acquaintances and let them know you are participating in the Fast and Furriest Virtual 5K. Share your personal page and ask them to sponsor you with a donation.

4.  Donations made on your personal page will be added to your fundraising goal. All donations will be added to the overall goal of $30,000 $40,000 (including a $10,000 match)!

5.  Work on and complete your 5K goal March 27-April 3, 2021. Post your progress on your fundraising page. Share your success with your sponsors and with the IAR community on social media.

EVENT SCHEDULE and KEY DATES

February 8  - T-shirt design contest opens.

February 8  - Early Bird Event Registration opens. Register as an early bird and you will receive your event T-shirt before March 27th!

March 1-6  - Public voting for the T-shirt design contest winner.

March 7  - T-shirt design contest winner announced.

March 10 -  Early Bird Event Registration ends. You will still get a T-shirt but it may be after March 27th.

March 27 - The virtual 5K event begins! Start working on reaching your 5K goal.

April 3 - The virtual 5K event ends. Bask in the glory of your accomplishments!

February 15- April 3  - Share your page and get your friends, family, and anyone you know to sponsor you in support of IAR!

We Have Prizes for the Most Creative 5K Concepts

Three participants with the most creative and impressive 5K concepts will win $25 Amazon gift cards! Have fun with your 5K goal and see what you can come up with.

T-Shirt Design Contest

Check out the T-Shirt Design Contest! All of the details are on the T-Shirt Design Contest page, which you can find in the menu. Open Feb 8-26. The winning design will be printed on the 2021 Fast and Furriest 5K event T-shirts! Everyone who registers for the event will receive a T-shirt. The top 3 designs will be put to a vote March 1-6 so be ready to pick your favorite!