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FAQ

Registration Questions

We’ll play it straight with you: Pledge the Pink prices aren’t what they used to be.

We’ve grown, and so have our goals. And so have the economic hurdles of herding 1500ish people around over the course of 3 days.

We do offer early-bird discounts and incentives to sign up early, but when you consider the logistics, permits, and perks that go into a three-day race… our full price is a steal.

We do it by constantly cutting overhead, soliciting sponsors anywhere we can get ‘em, and relying on a kickass force of dedicated volunteers.

Could we do it cheaper? Maybe. But not if we want to give you the one-of-a-kind race experience, that you’ve come to know and love.

And not if we want to meet our fundraising goals. We’ve got tons of money to raise. And every penny of our proceeds goes to meeting that goal and fighting breast cancer.

  • Three jaw-droppingly beautiful courses that showcase the best of Amelia Island
  • Four epic beachfront parties (where you can bring your own cooler packed with refreshing beverages)
  • Three honkin’ big, colorful, and way-cool medals.
  • A swag bag filled to the brim with awesome booty
  • 1500 new besties
  • Free downloads to almost 10k professional photos (yes, free pix)
  • Beachside boogying and trivia with our very own DJ Alan & the Coconut Heads
  • Professionally crafted training schedules for newbies, intermediates, and race junkies alike
  • Karaoke
  • Three delicious lunches off of the best food trucks in Florida
  • A guaranteed selfie with a rather large flamingo
  • Admission to Fort Clinch State Park

Sorry, registrations aren’t tax deductible. It’s an IRS ruling and out of our control. While we give all proceeds from the event to the cause—registrations count as “payments,” not contributions.

Because your registration buys your participation in the event, it’s classified as a purchase, not a gift.

However, individual donations (made independently from your registration) are 100% tax deductible. See our Donation Page for more information.

Children 12 and under can sign up for a flat fee of just $100 using coupon code PTPKIDS

We’ve watched dozens of kids grow up in our races every year. Seriously empowering stuff.

And they love going back to school dripping in our medals!

Having survivors at our races is important to us, and we would absolutely love to give everyone discounts.

But the end of the day: our priority is the cause. And every penny of the proceeds goes there.

So we feel the best way to honor those who have been so personally affected by breast cancer, is to contribute everything we can towards putting an end to this disease. And we’ve made the (difficult) choice to cut discounts, with this in mind.

Weekend Logistics

Amelia Island is located on the northeast coast of Florida, approximately 30 minutes from Jacksonville.

Our flock will be flooding the JAX airport so don’t worry about renting a car – most of our travelers coordinate carpools and ride shares.

Ubers and Lyfts are also regularly available for service to and from the airport. Lots of people also carpool from as far away as Chicago, driving together with new friends they meet on our Facebook travel page. With registrants usually coming from 45+ states, you’ll likely find a new bestie or two you can travel with.

There are two Marriott properties adjacent to the park and we’ve secureda block of discounted rooms for FlockStars. You can use this link to book your discounted rate.

Springhill Suites: $199/night

Courtyard Marriott: $179/night

We’ve also partnered with our good friends at the Omni to provide a limited discount on their one and two bedroom villas. Single occupancy is $239/$339, double occupancy is $239/$339, triple occupancy is$259/359, and the quad rate is $279/$379. Call 800-THE-OMNI and ask for the Pledge the Pink rate.

There are also dozens of charming Bed & Breakfasts in Fernandina Beach (the very cool main town on the island that’s only about 1.5 miles from MainBeach).

And, of course, there are hundreds of houses available to rent all over the island. Choose a Malibu-inspired mansion on the beach, or a little bungalow off the beaten path. There are styles, sizes, and prices for all.

We will be headquartered at Main Beach which is on the north end of Amelia next to Fort Clinch State Park.

With about 90% of our registrants coming from out of town (49 states and 6 countries in 2023!), we know a thing or two about the costs associated with housing, transportation, meals, drinks, etc. Based on the surveys and feedback we’ve gotten over the last twelve years, the average registrant spends $400-$500 on weekend expenses (including housing but not including transportation).

While we’re known as the best darn three day event on the planet, Pledge the Pink actually spans four days.

To get the most out of your weekend, you’ll want to be here by Thursday afternoon and stay at least until Sunday afternoon (though, most people stay until Monday)

Our At A Glance weekend itinerary:

  • Thursday, Oct 17: Packet Pickup & Welcome Party 3-8pm
  • Friday, Oct 18: Race starts at 8am and after-party jams until 1:30. Our infamous Bingo will run from 7-9:00pm.
  • Saturday, Oct 19: Race starts at 8am and after-party jams until 1:30. PJ Karaoke will go strong from 7-9pm.
  • Sunday, Oct 20: Sunrise start on the beach at 7:30am and our farewell party wraps at 1pm.

You can drive, cycle or walk this beautiful island. The Island isn’t really golf cart accessible. 

We can’t do a parade this year because the Island isn’t really golf cart accessible. But we have other plans to fill the void and make you pee yourself!

Course Info

Friday and Saturday have 8am starts, and our Sunday kicks off at 7:30 so we can catch the sunrise.

And yes, we do offer short cuts for those of you that want an abbreviated version of the fun!

You’ll need to be at the start line for instructions and announcements at least 15 minutes before START every morning.

Most people finish our 10 mile courses in 3 hours but you’ve got up to 4 hours to complete it, so enjoy!

And yes, we do offer 5-mile routes for those of you that want an abbreviated version of the fun!

The after-parties usually crank up 2 hours after the START and go for about 4 hours total.

Yup! We have water and snack stations along the routes. All our course amenities will be shown in detail on our course maps, which will be released this spring. Our cool volunteers will have water, Gatorade, trail mix, fruit, frozen treats, salty snacks, Bandaids, sunscreen, and lots of high fives!

We love to boogy, except when it’s the potty dance! We’ll have plenty o’ potties for yall this year- we’re literally doubling up on the portajohn order!

Yes, we love friends and family! In fact, we probably have a few things they can do for us while you’re out beatin’ feet. See if they might be interested in volunteering for an hour or two.

As long as they have cute babies in them! We love showing the kids how cool Pledge the Pink is, and how even cooler it is to exercise and help people!

Please note that our Hunting Island course includes bumpy trails through the state park and a few miles on the beach, so you’ll definitely want to have a legit “racing stroller” with fat wheels. Our beaches are hard-packed sands, but 2 miles with a stroller is a long way!

For safety reasons, we do ask that strollers start at the back of the pack.

 

If it is pouring rain, we are racing. If it is snowing, we are racing. If it is hot, we are racing. If it is cold, we are racing. If the sky is full of locusts (ha, or love bugs), we are racing.

A little rain won’t stop us but Pledge the Pink does have the right to delay, cancel, or suspend the race due to inclement weather or other potential safety risks (like lightning).

Fundraising

Nope, not at all! But a lot of our registrants like to do it.

Some raise tens of thousands, and some raise a few hundred.

And some just want an easy way to make a small donation on their own.

Yup! Donors will get a tax receipt via email if they made a donation online.

For those donors sending a check, we can email a tax receipt to them if they write their email address on the offline donation form.

Start by creating a fundraising platform here to collect online donations.

You can also collect money the old fashioned way (i.e. in person).  Checks can be made out to Pledge the Pink Foundation and you can mail those to PO Box 3195 Bluffton, SC 29910 along with an offline donation form. Yay!

Pledge the Pink Foundation. This is our 501c3 entity (so donations are tax exempt).

Don’t forget to have them fill out an offline donation form and mail everything to PO Box 3195 Bluffton, SC 29910

Great question! If you receive any checks prior to October 15, please mail them to us at:

Pledge the Pink Foundation
PO Box 3195
Bluffton SC 29910

Please bring any cash or checks you receive after that to us during event weekend (and thank you!).

Remember: all checks MUST be made out to Pledge the Pink Foundation

Now YOU get to determine who receives our funding. If you, or your team, raises at least $5,000 we will donate 75% of your funds to the charity of your choice.

It can be in Anchorage or Austin or Africa, just as long as it is a US registered 501c3 breast cancer charity in good standing.

Support the cancer center that is treating your sister, or the clinic that provides free mammograms in your hometown, or a research group that is working 24/7 to find a cure.

If you raise less than 5k, our nonprofit will distribute your fundraising dollars to some of our favorite breast cancer charity partners like Hollings Cancer Center and Volunteers in Medicine clinics around the country.

Regardless of how much money you raise, we work hard to squeeze those funds back into the communities to fund life saving screening, treatment, and research. Our goal is to maintain the highest Guidestar rating for nonprofits year after year.

For every $200 you raise, we will add a (plastic) pink flamingo to our beautiful Flocks of Love display.

Your bird(s) will proudly wear your name and personalized message, and heroically stand in our sea of pink flamingos in October.

It is a jaw dropping, and an intensely poignant display of honor and gratitude, knowing that each bird was adopted in dedication of a loved one.

Our Flocks of Love has held the Guinness World Record for several years. And with your help, we will shatter our previous records and our flock will stand 5,000 strong this year.

A lot of people bring little birdie costumes to decorate and dress up their flamingos (it is hysterical)!

If you wish, you can take your flamingos home with you to give them to your donors as a thank you gift, or put them in your yard so you can see what a difference you’ve made.

You’re awesome!

Registrants: log in to your Dashboard and follow the prompts under “Fundraising” to get started.

Not registered? You can still set up a fundraising page here

Yes, they will! Let’s say your personal page has a fundraising goal of $500 (thanks, by the way) and your Aunt Sue makes a $50 donation on your page.

You’ll see that donation reflected on your page and on your team’s page and you’ll both be $50 closer to your goal.

Don’t forget Fundraising Teams and Race Teams are separate so be sure to set up both!

Once your page is set up (it literally takes less than five minutes), you can paste your page’s URL link in a social media post and ask your friends to support you. Or you can send them a personal email and include your page link in the request.

Tell them why Pledge the Pink and the fight against breast cancer is important to you. People want to know your story!

Yes! We will be giving credit for funds raised on Facebook. To get credit you MUST set up a fundraising page and add the total amount raised as an offline donation. You then must provide us with screenshot confirmation of your total amount raised. No Exceptions. Learn more here.

Yes! However, to give you credit for matching donation, your employer MUST include your name on either the check or the letter that accompanies the check. No exceptions.

We sure do. Pledge the Pink supports the fight by funding biopsies, treatment, and research.

Every penny of our race proceeds goes straight to 501 (c)(3) nonprofits, such as the American Cancer Society, Mayo Clinic, Hollings Cancer Center, Volunteers in Medicine, Comprehensive Health Services, and countless other cancer-fighting beneficiaries. These dollars provide funding for heroic, budget-restricted, non-profit, service providers.

We also provide special grants to help with things like patient transportation to treatment, childcare/elder care during their appointments, home care, insurance co-pays, lymphedema support, and medications.

Quite simply, we fill the gap and help people that need it most. Without the red-tape and bureaucracy.

Miscellaneous

EVERYONE.

Seriously. Pledge the Pink is for everyone who thinks cancer sucks. Bring your besties, bring your kids, bring your mom, husband, neighbors, boss, barista, high school crush, George Clooney.

(Please, please bring George Clooney).

Whoever you bring, form a team! All ages and fitness levels are welcome, supported, and encouraged, here. We don’t care if you run, walk, crawl, or push a stroller across that finish line (psst – short cuts are available with no shame attached!)

We just care about kicking cancer’s butt. Together.

And having fun doing it.

 

While our big 4-day love-fest in Hilton Head is our signature event, we produce multiple virtual races throughout the year. The fun, goofy, and casual races keep our flock active and help us raise money year-round.

They are pretty darn cool. We come up with unique challenges, create training schedules, and design the most awesome bling possible. You pay like $25 or $30 to register, you train your tail feathers off (using our private Facebook group for support and accountability) and then you do your “race” whenever is convenient for you. Walk it, run it, bike it, crawl it. Your race, your rules. We’ll ship your bling and you can upload your celebration selfie when it arrives.

Wow, super thoughtful of you to ask!

Signing up for Pledge the Pink is already a HUGE deal. And we’d be eternally grateful if you would recruit all your peeps to join you. The more registrants we have, the more money we raise.

Speaking of moolah, every year, our big-hearted pledges raise thousands more for the cause. Fundraising isn’t required, but it sure makes a big impact!

Any chance you (or someone you know) might want to sponsor us? We have sponsor packages starting at FREE, and we also love to customize sponsorships for in-kind donations that help us defray event costs (water, snacks, portajohns, tent rentals, signs, etc).