After several years of pandemic disruption, the Portland tech community fun run, 4K 4Charity is back with some changes.
The event is organized by the startup Field Day and is now called the 4K4Community Fun Run.
What isn’t changing is the community focus on supporting diversity, equity and inclusion in technology and education and the 4 kilometer length of the race. Proceeds from the event will support POIC and Rosemary Anderson High School, which are a work training and mentoring program and an alternative high school.
Registration is open for the event and people can run individually or as teams. Sign-ups are on the Field Day platform. The event takes place Oct. 10 and starts at 4 p.m. with the course starting and finishing at Oregon Museum of Science and Industry.
In addition to the run the event will feature a nonprofit fair at the finish line. People will be able to learn about groups in town working on DEI in technology and education.
“Bringing people together with nonprofits in our local communities is what Field Day is all about,” said co-founder and CEO Eli Blackman in a written statement. “Our hope is that the 4K4Community serves as an opportunity for folks to learn how they can continue their support beyond this event.”
The original 4K 4Charity event started in 2014 by what was then fast-growing Portland startup Elemental Technologies. The event continued after Elemental was acquired by AWS and the company became AWS Elemental.
The race length is a play on AWS Elemental’s work in ultra-high resolution 4K video.
AWS Elemental is among the first sponsors for the newly christened 4K4Community, organizers said.
The event’s new home with Field Day is fitting. Blackman, Field Day’s co-founder, is the brother of the late Elemental co-founder and CEO Sam Blackman. The original fun run was a project Sam was passionate about.
Additionally, Sam built Elemental with a deep sense of community and had giving back to the community as an important company value. It was working in that culture that eventually caused Eli to start Field Day. The new startup’s mission is to help companies connect with local nonprofits that are looking for volunteers.
Since 2014 the Portland fun runs and similar runs organized by AWS Elemental at different industry conferences raised more than $1.3 million for nonprofits working in DEI in tech.
“We’re excited that the 4K4Community will be continuing the 4K 4Charity’s efforts to advance diversity, equity and inclusion in Portland’s technology industry and the broader community,” said Skip Newberry, president and CEO of the Technology Association of Oregon. “After the past few years, the timing couldn’t be better to reignite our community in support of a very important cause.”
