The Fall Challenge has started! Get moving and log every mile through December 31. Log your miles → Live board →
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5th Annual Fall Challenge

Two locations. One cause.

For our 5th anniversary, we're aiming for 300 miles together. Join us on Saturday, October 17 at the Johnston-Willis campus or on the Virginia Capital Trail. Or be active from wherever you are, starting today and all the way through December 31. Every mile you log and every dollar you give funds gas and food cards for local cancer patients.

EVERY STEP COUNTS. EVERY MILE MATTERS.
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Event day: Saturday, October 17, 7 AM to 7 PM, rain or shine Virtual: now through December 31, from anywhere

📱 Use the free Fall Challenge app to log every mile from your phone, on event day or any day through December 31. No download from an app store needed.

A family of riders and a walker gathered on the trail during a past Fall Challenge
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Locations, one cause
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5th anniversary goal, miles
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Hours on course
Choose Your Course

Two locations on October 17. Or anywhere, any day.

On Saturday, October 17, take on the 12-Hour Challenge at the hospital or cover the Capital Trail. Can't make it? Be active from wherever you are, starting now through December 31. Every mile counts toward one community total.

The Sarah Cannon Cancer Institute entrance at Johnston-Willis, the Fall Challenge check-in point
Location 1 · 12-Hour Challenge

Johnston-Willis / HCA Campus & Huguenot Park

1401 Johnston-Willis Drive, Richmond, VA 23235

2.5-mile loop · 12 hours
  • Saturday, October 17, 7 AM to 7 PM, rain or shine
  • Start at the Sarah Cannon Cancer Institute entrance at Johnston-Willis, with check-in and water
  • Each hour is dedicated to a specific cancer or to the people touched by cancer
  • Come for one lap, an hour, or all 12. No pace requirement.
  • Track your miles with GPS in the Fall Challenge app, or add them by hand when you finish
  • Leashed pets welcome
  • Can't be there on the 17th? Join virtually from anywhere, any day through December 31
Get directions
Fall leaves along the Virginia Capital Trail
Location 2

Virginia Capital Trail

Jamestown to Richmond

51.7 miles
  • Saturday, October 17
  • Ride or walk as much of the trail as you like with Team Hawthorne
  • Track your miles with GPS in the Fall Challenge app, or add them by hand
  • Every mile you cover counts toward our 300-mile goal
Trail map and info
Fall Challenge flyer: the 2.5-mile 12-Hour Virtual loop around the Johnston-Willis / HCA Campus, Sarah Cannon Cancer Institute and Huguenot Park in Richmond, VA, and the 51.7-mile Virginia Capital Trail from Jamestown to Richmond with the Virginia Capital Trail Foundation
The two Fall Challenge courses: the 2.5-mile Johnston-Willis / Huguenot Park loop and the 51.7-mile Virginia Capital Trail.

Virtual, from anywhere: starting now through December 31. Walk, run, ride, or roll in your neighborhood, on the treadmill, or on vacation, as often as you like. Log your miles in the Fall Challenge app or with the form below and they count toward the same 300-mile goal.

Every Mile Has a Meaning

Our hourly dedications

On Saturday, October 17, we're walking, riding and running toward our goal. Each hour from 7 AM to 7 PM is dedicated to a specific cancer or to the people whose lives are touched by cancer. Scroll the trail to follow the day.

7 AM · Start at the Sarah Cannon entrance
    7 PM · Closing reflective moment

    Come walk with someone in your heart.Think of a family member, friend, colleague, or someone whose life has been touched by one of these cancers. You don't have to join us during that specific hour to dedicate your miles to them. Come whenever you can! When you log miles, choose a dedication and add who you're walking for.

    October 17 and every day through December 31

    Log every mile from your phone

    Open the Fall Challenge app, check in once, and pick your location. Wherever you are, tap Start GPS tracking when you set out and Finish when you stop, or add your miles by hand. Watch the community total climb on the live board.

    Open the app See the live board
    Scan to open the Fall Challenge appScan to open on your phone

    Walk. Run. Ride. Roll.

    However you move, it counts toward one community total. Bring your leashed pets along too.

    Walk

    Bring your family, your leashed pets, your walking shoes.

    Run

    Log training miles or set a personal pace on event day.

    Ride

    Bikes welcome at Johnston-Willis and on the Capital Trail.

    Roll

    Wheelchairs, handcycles, and strollers all count.

    From Past Challenges

    Real moments from the trail

    Riders from Wolf Pack Alpha with a young rider on a bridge overlooking downtown Richmond A Team Hawthorne walker crossing a wooden trail bridge A participant standing inside the giant bicycle sculpture at the Four Mile Creek Trailhead Two walkers pointing at the East and West Capital Trail signs Riders sharing a snack break with a young rider A group of walkers and a dog on the Capital Trail near downtown Richmond A walker with ribbons on her pack passing under a bridge on the trail Robin Yoder on the home stretch of the Virginia Capital Trail Walkers on a boardwalk section of the trail Fall Challenge walkers on the Capital Trail Fall Challenge participants along the trail Fall Challenge team on the Virginia Capital Trail

    Photos from past Fall Challenge walks and rides, courtesy of The Hawthorne Cancer Foundation.

    How will you make a difference?

    Every gift to the Discretionary Fund helps a local cancer patient during treatment.

    Donate Now
    "I know what it's like to hear the word 'cancer.' I also know what it's like to have someone show up for you. That's what every mile of this walk is."
    Robin Yoder, MSW, Co-Founder and two-time cancer survivor Read Robin's full story →

    Log your miles

    On event day or any day through December 31, the Fall Challenge app is the fastest way to log your miles. No phone handy? Use this form instead.

    Can't walk today? Support the Challenge with a gift. Donate now →

    Make your miles matter

    Share who you're walking for

    Here's another way to make your miles matter. When you head out to walk, ride, or run, take a moment to post on social media.

    1. Share who you're walking for
    2. Include a photo if you'd like
    3. Encourage others to donate to The Hawthorne Cancer Foundation's Discretionary Fund

    Let's spread the word, honor the people who inspire us, and help ease the everyday burdens of local cancer patients during treatment.