Take note that the 2017 Bee Brave 5K is the FIRST Saturday of October this year—Saturday, October 7!

• Cost: $25 for adults, $17 for 17 and under
• Registration opens July 1, 2017. 
• Mail in registrations must be postmarked no later than Wednesday, September 27.
• Online registration will CLOSE at midnight on Thursday, October 5.
• Late registration takes place from 7:15 – 8:15 AM on race day at a cost of $35 (no shirt guaranteed).

Registration

We are proud to accept a $25,000 match for all our Team Buzz donations in honor of Wilma Koning. Wilma passed away in February 2017. She was a huge supporter of Bee Brave and Van Andel Institute. It is with honor and humility we accept this match!

When you agree to be a fundraiser for Bee Brave 2017, your efforts will be DOUBLED up to $25,000!  All you need to do is click here to be taken to the 5K registration page.

You can choose to be a Team Buzz Warrior after you register for the race using the CrowdRise fundraising platform when prompted after your race registration is complete. CrowdRise provides you with an awesome personalized fundraising website link that you can share with friends and family, which will help you quickly reach your goal! You can even set up a team and others can join you! Go here to set up your personalized page, in case you missed it during your registration process.

Check out the AWESOME Team Buzz jackets for 2017! As a TEAM BUZZ WARRIOR you can earn this versatile and functional running jacket when you and your team raise $1,000. We will follow up with you to get choice of color and size so your jacket can be presented to you on race day.

Looking for your team page? Click the button below to find it. 

Find your Team

Creating a Team
If you would like to create a team, indicate your team name when prompted during your registration process on EventBrite. You will then be asked after submitting your registration if you would like to fundraise for this event on CrowdRise. Choose YES and you will be taken to CrowdRise to set up your team page.

NOTE: The Bee Brave team will add individuals to your team as they register on EventBrite, so no worries there! We will be sure their registration funds get allocated to your page. Just be sure your friends know that you are a team captain and what your team name is so they can indicate that when they register for the event (see Join a Team section). There may be a delay in these funds appearing on your page. We appreciate your patience. This is a new system for 2017 and some bugs are being worked out.

Joining a Team
If you would like to join a team that has already been created, indicate your team captain and/or team name when prompted during your registration process on EventBrite.

Raising Funds as an Individual
If you are signing up as an individual, we invite you to take your participation to the next level by collecting donations! You can do that OFFLINE using this pledge form. If you would like to collect donations ONLINE, you can set up a personalized fundraising page here. 

Take your participation in the Bee Brave 5K to the next level by setting up a fundraising page either as an individual or as a team!

If you would like to make a straight donation to the cause you can also do that by clicking on the link below.

Donate 

LOCATION & COURSE
The Catamount Farms Polo Field has been sold—it is now a corn field. However, the new owner has graciously given us permission to use the property! Due to this, take note of the slight change in course by clicking here (link coming soon). You will still end on the property, but we cannot have any use of the field, so you will run down the gravel road into the property to the finish line instead of running around the field.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
We are making a slight change in the morning itinerary. The reason for our event is to honor and pay tribute to all those who are/have struggled with the journey of breast cancer. 

8:30 AM – Keeping these individuals in the forefront of our WHY, we will invite all those who care to come forward to introduce themselves and briefly share their breast cancer journey at this time.

8:45 AM – Our Team Buzz spokesperson will share her story. 

8:55 AM – The National Anthem will be sung, after which time you will proceed to the starting line. 

9:10 AM – The RACE will begin!

Awards will be presented IMMEDIATELY following the race so if you are in the TOP 3 of your age category, please stay close to the finish line to get your awards and recognition! 

What is the Bee Brave 5K Run/Walk?
The Bee Brave 5K began in 2008 when Pat Ringnalda was inspired to become more proactive in raising money for breast cancer research. Since its inception, Bee Brave has raised over $325,000 for research!

Who benefits from the money raised from Bee Brave 5K?
Your race dollars stay LOCAL and ALL of it is used for research! That’s right … 100% of race registration and donations go directly to Van Andel Institute, where 100% of it is used to research better medicines and ultimately a cure for breast cancer.

Races are expensive … how is it possible that 100% of my race registration is used entirely for research?
Race expenses are covered 100% by our incredibly generous business sponsors! We invite you to visit our sponsor section and learn more about the amazing businesses who support the Bee Brave 5K.  

On top of having amazing local businesses who support our cause, we have a team of tireless volunteers who dedicate hours of their time throughout the year to organizing our Bee Brave events. We are proud to be 100% volunteer organized so that EVERY SINGLE DOLLAR can benefit research instead of someone’s paycheck.

Do I have to join a team or can I sign up as an individual?
Participants can sign up as a Team Captain, join an existing team, or register as an individual as a runner, walker or a virtual walker.

Is the Bee Brave 5K a timed race?
Yes—runners will be chip timed by Ignite Your Event. Individuals wishing to have their race timed should register as a runner regardless if they run or walk. **Please note that walkers are NOT timed** 

What is a Virtual Walker?
Virtual Walkers are people who would like to support our cause, but can not join us on race day. They are eligible to receive a race shirt and should let their team captain know what size they requested during registration. Please ask your Team Captain to pick up your shirt on race day. No shirts will be mailed.

Do you allow strollers and/or pets?
Yes! Both strollers and dogs on leashes are welcome to participate. 🙂  

Is my race registration or donation tax deductible?
Yes, Van Andel Institute is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and contributions made to the Bee Brave 5K fall under its donations.

How do I invite people to register on my team or donate?
After registering, you will be given a Fundraising Page that you can personalize! From there, you can either use the template created by VAI to email friends or you can write your own. In addition, you can customize your URL settings of your personal page to share it directly on social media.  

Are there awards?
Absolutely! Our award ceremony follows immediately after the race where medals are awarded to the top 3 finishers of each age group. In addition, top male and female runners receive $100 gift card to Gazelle Sports.

How do I earn one of those cool Team Buzz Jackets I saw?
Team Buzz Warriors are a group of elite fundraising volunteers who commit to raising $1,000 for Bee Brave 5K through registrations and donations to their team. If you would like to learn more or commit to becoming a Team Buzz Warrior, please email your commitment to BeeBrave5K@gmail.com with the subject line Team Buzz Warrior.

I still have questions, what do I do?
We want to answer your questions! Feel free to email BeeBrave5K@gmail.com and we’ll be happy to help.