Up for a challenge?

Jordan Education Foundation’s 8th Challenge Run is a 2.5-mile course where participants can run through mud, climb a wall, hurdle a barricade, navigate an obstacle, slide down a hill — or simply go around, if preferred. The family-friendly event and festival will be May 11 at Veterans Memorial Park, 1985 W. 7800 South, in West Jordan.

Registration is $20 at jefchallenge.org. The race begins at 9 a.m. and the festival runs from 10 a.m. to noon.

“The competition is fun; you don’t have to be an athlete to compete in this,” Mike Haynes said, JEF executive director. “You can walk it, you can push a stroller, you pick up the flag and carry it to the rodeo grounds’ stadium, you can carry sandbags and all sorts of things, or you can simply go around them. It’s accessible so anyone can do it, we welcome families no matter what the age.”

JEF Board Member and race planner Jason Casto agrees.

 “This isn’t a Spartan Race,” he said. “It’s not to train for. We put some fun in it. You can use a sledgehammer to break bricks or shoot a paintball into a target with a slingshot or weave through cattle pens. You can even slide down waterslides. People come from age 5 to 95.”

Casto organized the race not only as a fundraiser for Jordan School District schools, but also to let the community know about the Foundation and how it supports schoolchildren.

“We take 100% of the funds and just put them into the classroom grants,” he said. “People learn and understand what we’re doing to support students and they’re having fun and doing something for a good cause.”

At last year’s event, JEF was able to raise $400,000 in classroom grants, Haynes said.

“We’ve seen a big increase in teachers applying for that grant. In the past, we only allowed teachers to apply for the grant every other year. Now, it’s every year,” he said.

That’s because teachers post their requests on Donors Choose, which can get individuals, businesses, corporations and foundations to donate to their projects, and often, the latter ones will hold a matching day. That’s when JEF will use funds to match the amount, “stretching our dollars instead of funding the whole thing out of our budget,” Haynes said.

He said every one of Jordan School District’s 3,600 licensed teachers can put in an annual request of $500 each.

“That would mean $1.8 million; we don’t have that much. So, we need to do all we can to bring in more and more,” Haynes said. “I’m telling teachers, ‘every nickel, no matter what it is, if you need it, ask.’ I don’t want money to be a reason you don’t do something that’s best for kids. We live in a great community who wants to support educators.”

In March, the Challenge run registration was on track for about 1,000 participants, close to the numbers pre-COVID-19, Casto said.

Haynes said the challenge run is one of the top 10 races in the state for participation.

A fun aspect of the challenge run is open to Jordan District students, faculty and staff. The school with the greatest percentage of participation receives an additional $1,000 in classroom grants and a traveling trophy, Casto said.

Herriman High has won that three years, Kauri Sue Hamilton School earned it twice and South Jordan Middle, once.

“Butterfield Canyon Elementary has some early registering going so if they keep that percentage up, they could be at the top,” he said. “What sets this apart is we’re a Foundation and people want to help our schools. We get so many businesses, community resources and groups that come and offer free food, activities and stuff, it makes it a fun festival afterward.”

Haynes said that even West Jordan City allows JEF to offer volunteer service in lieu of a park rental.

“Last year, students came and painted some buildings on the park property, so there’s a volunteer service element in this,” he said. “This event brings us together. It helps promote what the Foundation does to support education, and how through community support, we can help meet the needs of Jordan School District students.” λ