Sign up as an individual or with friends to run or walk all night with us as we raise awareness and funds for mental health in our local community. Funds raised will support mental health services for:
UNC students (offered through UNC Counseling and Psychological Services – “CAPS”)
UNC student-athletes (offered through UNC Athletics Mental Health and Performance Psychology program – “MHPP”), and
The unhoused in Orange County (offered through the Street Outreach, Harm Reduction & Deflection team – “SOHRAD”)
We’ll follow a roughly one-mile loop route along sidewalks all night. The route starts in the University Baptist Church parking lot on W. Franklin, goes to the corner at S. Columbia, takes S. Columbia down to W. Cameron, W. Cameron to Kenan, and Kenan back up to W. Franklin. It’s four right turns crossing no major streets–the simplest route you’ll find!
The church parking lot will serve as base camp for all participants. There they can take breaks between laps, rest, re-fuel, receive aid, or enjoy some of the entertainment and activities that will take place throughout the night. This is a “fun run”! Participants set their own goals for how much distance they want to cover throughout the night. The main purpose is to keep going and do as much as possible to raise mental health awareness and funds.
FAQs
Do you have to stay all night?
No! Participants are free to leave at any point, but we do ask that they return on Sunday morning for a celebration breakfast, right after sunrise, in the church Great Hall to enjoy a well-earned meal, hear from the organizations benefiting from funds raised, and receive their special participant awards!
Do I have to run/walk!
Nope! We welcome you to get involved by donating or volunteering! There are volunteer shifts available for sign-up on the race website.
Why All Night?
For those struggling with their mental health, life can feel like a grueling journey through the darkness. That journey can be long, and at times it can feel like it will never end. However, the human spirit is strong, and if we push onward in community with others, believing in the light, the dawn will come. This metaphor is something we hope to embody with our run; the difficulty of an all-night event reflects the difficult journeys of those struggling with depression, anxiety, and all manner of mental illnesses. Yet as our participants “just keep moving,” they get ever closer to a new day, and as the sun rises and brings the end to a long struggle, we can celebrate what we’ve been through together.