12 to 18 October · anywhere on earth

Sparkies 14k for Kris.

Run 14km, anywhere on earth, at any pace, on any day of race week. Finish it and the patch is posted to your door.

Why 14? October 14 is Kris's birthday. Ben's brother was standing at a bus stop in July when the shelter came down on top of him: eight hours of surgery, four days in a coma, and months before he can work again. So we run 14 on his week, and $15 of every supporter and collector entry goes straight to his recovery.

Enter from $2 How it works

Three ways in. The six-week build comes with all of them.

Already in the Clubhouse? Enter from your race page and your finisher card gets the violet trim.

Ben and his brother Kris at a cafe. Kris is in a wheelchair with both arms in casts and braces.
Ben and his brother Kris, a few weeks after the accident.
Sparkies is on Google Play. On iPhone, join on the web, same club. Apple app coming. Get the Android app

What your entry gets you

Not a T-shirt and a start line.

The Road to 14

A six-week build from whatever you can run today to 14km on race day. Four sessions a week, long runs of 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12km, then race week. Entrants only, and it isn't sold separately.

Your own race page

Your entry, the start list, and a live leaderboard once the week opens: the race itself, then Tribes, then country.

The finisher patch

3D PVC, velcro plus a sew-on loop, so it goes on a vest, a cap or a jacket. Collector tier, finishers only. It isn't for sale and it never will be.

Postage to your door

Anywhere on earth, included in the Collector price. Nothing extra appears at checkout.

Your finisher card

Made for you when you cross the line, ready to post, the same week the whole club is posting theirs.

$15 straight to Kris

On the Supporter and Collector tiers. The physio, the rehab, and keeping his life running while he can't work.

From $2 AUDPick your tier below. No shipping to add, no upsell, nothing else to buy.

Pick your entry

Three ways in. Same race.

The Runner
$2 AUD
  • The race, on your own race page
  • The six-week Road to 14 build
  • Race week with the Clubhouse
  • Your digital finisher card

Nobody gets priced out of running for Kris.

Enter as a runner
Most people pick this
The Supporter
$17 AUD
  • Everything in Runner
  • $15 straight to Kris's recovery
  • The physio, the rehab, and life while he can't work

The one most people pick.

Enter as a supporter
The Collector
$37 AUD
  • Everything in Supporter
  • The finisher patch, posted to your door
  • Any country, postage included

The patch ships to finishers only. You don't buy it, you earn it. Paying just covers it.

Enter as a collector

Race terms

How it works

Four things. That's it.

1. Enter

Pick a tier and the race lands on your race page in Sparkies. Enter with any email, then sign up free with the same one.

2. Run 14

One activity of 14km between 12 and 18 October. One run, not added up. Any pace. Walk breaks count. Strava-verified where connected.

3. Finish

Your patch ships to the address you gave at checkout, wherever on earth that is.

4. Share it

Post your finisher card. The whole Clubhouse will be doing it the same week.

Never run 14 before?

You don't have to be able to run 14 today.

That's what the six weeks are for. The Road to 14 comes with your entry: four sessions a week, long runs of 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12km, then race week. It's anchored to race day, so the whole club is on the same week at the same time and nobody is out there on their own.

Any pace counts. Walk breaks count. A treadmill counts. The slowest finisher gets exactly the same patch as the fastest, and that's the point.

The 14k for Kris finisher patch: a black 3D PVC disc with a yellow ring, SPARKIES and a large 14K, FINISHER underneath, and 14K FOR KRIS around the rim in violet.

The patch

You can't buy this one. You can only earn it.

3D PVC, built to outlast the shoes you run it in. Velcro plus a sew-on loop, so it goes on a vest, a cap or a jacket. Finishers only.

Enter as a collector

Why this one matters

He can't run this one with us. So we run it for him.

On 27 July my brother Kris was standing at a bus stop on the Gold Coast after work when a bus clipped the shelter and it came down on top of him. Eight hours of surgery. Four days in a coma. He's awake and back on his feet now, but both arms were crushed. One is being rebuilt by surgeons, the other is in plaster, and it will be months, maybe a year, before he can work again.

Kris is the kind of bloke who'd never ask for help. So we're running instead.

October 14 is his birthday. So it's 14km, on his week, with $15 of every Supporter and Collector entry going straight to his recovery: the physio, the rehab, and keeping life running while he can't work.

Where your entry goes

The whole split. No mystery.

The $15 line goes to Kris, all of it. The physio, the rehab, and keeping life going while he can't work. The Runner tier keeps the lights on. The Collector tier covers the patch and postage. That's the whole split.

Optional add-on at checkout: top up the Kris line by any amount. Every dollar of top-ups goes straight to him.

Real runners

999 runners. 18,418 km. Here's what they say.

★★★★★

"Love the community feel and support."

Doreen
★★★★★

"It's the complete profile you need to track your runs, be part of a community, and follow a plan to be your best."

Bernie T.
★★★★★

"OMG, this cycle tracking is legit. Mind blown."

Hannah, Australia

Rated 4.8★ by 37 Sparkies who actually use it.

Questions

October 14 is Kris's birthday. 14km, on his week. That's the whole reason.

No patch, and only the Collector tier is owed one anyway. Every finisher gets the digital finisher card whatever they paid. Your $15 still went to Kris, you still got the six-week build, and you still went further than you would have on your own.

The build is six weeks and anchored to race day, so the later you enter the further into it you start. There's nothing to gain by waiting.

Yes. 14 is 14.

No. Enter with any email, then sign up to Sparkies free with the same one and the race, the build and your race page are all waiting for you. The Clubhouse is the optional paid tier at $4.95 a month, with the first 7 days free.

Yes. Worldwide, postage included.

Your finisher card gets the violet trim. Open your race page and enter from there.

One week. 14km for Kris.

The six-week build, your race page, race week with the whole Clubhouse, and your finisher card. From two dollars, and nobody gets priced out of running for Kris.

Pick your entry

Runner $2 · Supporter $17 · Collector $37

Already in the Clubhouse? Enter from your race page and your finisher card gets the violet trim.