Freed to Run 4.0 still will feature six marathons in six days, Nov. 16-21, from Tallahassee to Jacksonville, but for the first time the final leg will be on Saturday and the route will conclude with a 14-mile home stretch on the Baldwin Trail.
Freed to Run founder and Gunster shareholder Mike Freed said the change was made to allow greater participation in the annual fundraiser for the Freed to Run 4.0 Northeast Florida Medical Legal Partnership endowment at Jacksonville Area Legal Aid.
“Having the sixth marathon and the 5K on a Saturday will make it easier for folks who work Monday through Friday to participate. Due to the pandemic, we wanted to make sure everyone could participate in the way that felt safest to them. Teams can even run a virtual marathon, making the handoff at the end of each leg via Zoom or however they choose,” Freed said.
Freed runs all six marathons along the back roads of North Florida, beginning the first at the state Supreme Court and ending at the Duval County Courthouse.
So far, 14 teams are registered. Many will be participating for the third consecutive year, including teams from the 4th Judicial Circuit State Attorney and Public Defender’s offices. Returning private law firms include Abel Bean; Akerman LLP; Fisher, Tousey Leas & Ball; and Harrell & Harrell.
A new team this year, “Back It Like It’s Hot,” is led by event co-chairs Drs. Nayla and Ali Chahlavi, who have pledged to raise $10,000.
Donations help support the endowment for the Northeast Florida Medical Legal Partnership, which addresses the civil legal needs of the region’s pediatric patients and their families, and are matched at 125% by Baptist Health.
The Northeast Florida Medical Legal Partnership is part of a nationwide network of projects in which professionals from the medical and legal communities combine resources to produce outcomes for low-income and vulnerable patients that positively impact their health and ability to thrive.
Jacksonville Area Legal Aid serves about 200 children and their families each year through the partnership, providing civil legal aid free of charge to patients of Wolfson Children’s Hospital, Nemours Children’s Specialty Care, Jacksonville, UF Health Specialty Pediatric Clinics and Community PedsCare, a pediatric program of Community Hospice & Palliative Care.
Visit jaxlegalaid.org/freedtorun/ to register or donate.