New 4-miler's name is a mouthful

Run For Your Life's annual July race? It just got longer.

Not in terms of distance -- it's still a 4-mile event. The name of the race is what's been extended. In the past, it was simply called the Run For Your Life 4 Miler. But take a deep breath and say the new name with me: the Run For Your Life Run For Your Cause 4 Miler.

The inaugural running of this race is set to take place at the Dilworth location of Run For Your Life on Saturday, July 11. And along with the new name comes a bit of a philosophical makeover.

Ashleigh Lawrence of Run For Your Life explains the difference: "Rather than proceeds going towards only one beneficiary, we wanted to partner with multiple non-profits and open the door for them to collect donations through the event.

"We have selected two non-profit organizations, the Dore Academy and Make-A-Wish Foundation of Central and Western North Carolina, but we have high hopes that in the coming years, the event will grow to three, five, or more non-profit beneficiaries!"

(FYI, the Dore Academy is a K-12, college preparatory school on Providence Road "devoted to the education of students with learning disabilities and ADHD." Make-A-Wish's mission is "to grant the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength, and joy.")

The 4-mile race will be extra-special for Run For Your Life because it comes during a month in which RFYL will celebrate its 20th anniversary. As one of its Grand Prix Series events, amenities will include "free food, free music, inflatables for the kids to play on, etc.," but Lawrence says "both the event awards and the event T-shirts (technical tees!) will have a special 20th anniversary kick to them."

Additionally, there'll be a "Tent Sale" on Race Day featuring 15 to 50 percent off apparel, "deep discounts" on older-model shoes, and 15 percent off regular-priced shoes.

For more information about the Run For Your Life Run For Your Cause 4 Miler, click here.

Oh, and if you want to be a supporter of this event, there are several ways you can help:

1. Register to run/walk online by clicking here. You will have the opportunity to make an additional charitable donation during registration.
2. Create an individual or team page, then recruit friends and family to make donations. To create a fundraising page, click here (for Make-A-Wish) or here (for Dore Academy) and then click on "Become a Fundraiser" at the top of the page; you will need to create an active.com account.
3. Make a donation in person at the event.
4. Be an event volunteer (6-11 a.m.). Find out how by contacting Lauren Barker at lbarker@ncwish.org or Kathy Sedon at ksedon@doreacademy.org.