I had no idea that there was such a thing as a Dick’s-A-Thon

A long, long time ago, when I was in high school and college, I liked to run. To see me now, you probably wouldn't believe it, but I did a little track and field in junior high. Played a little basketball in high school. But I found when I got stressed out, Running helped.  

Well, these days I don't do a whole lot of running. But I was fascinated by a story that I saw earlier this morning. About a very unusual, very "Seattle" kind of running event. 

It just happened on October 17th and it's called, The Dick's-A-Thon. 

What is a The Dick's-A-Thon? 

There are actually 3 levels of the Dick's-A-Thon you can participate in. 

The full The Dick's-A-Thon 

26.3 MILES | 2,064 FT GAIN | THE FULL MENU
A marathon and change through Seattle, hitting five Dick's Drive-Ins on the way: fries, a milkshake, and three burgers — one deluxe, one special, one cheeseburger. 

screen shot / ddir.com

The half Dick's-A-Thon 

14.5 MILES | 971 FT GAIN | 3 MENU ITEMS
A little over half the miles, two stops, three menu items, all of the nonsense. You'll pick any three items across the stops on your route — plenty of people go fries, shake, and one burger and call it a strategy. Same aid stations, same volunteers, same finish line back at The Mountaineers. 

Screen shot / dicksathon.com

The F 45 victory lap. 

5.4 MILES | 103 FT GAIN | 1 MENU ITEM
Our shortest distance, out and back from The Mountaineers. You’ll be rewarded with a Dick’s Burger upon return. Cheer on your fellow runners as they finish their challenge! 

How did it get started? 

It first happened unofficially on April 21st, 2018, when two friends decided to do a 20-mile run around Seattle, stopping at each Dick's restaurant for burgers, fries and a milkshake. On August 22nd, 2022, one of the two friends, Ian. Went on a solo trek through the Cascades and never returned.

According to dicksathon.com/about,
'on October 22, 2022, we came together for the first annual Dick’s-A-Thon. Over 100 people joined us to celebrate Ian, and we donated $32K to Washington search and rescue organizations.
Now what started as a crazy idea, has become a yearly tradition that brings together the people who loved Ian, and those who love what he stood for. Join us for this year’s run, as we continue to raise money for outdoor organizations.’ 

Screen shot / dicksathon.com

I think this is a great idea and if you like to run, eat the occasional hamburger, and raise money for a good cause. You might want to consider this event for next year. It seems like it's caught the imagination of quite a few Seattleites. Even to the point of generating a documentary film.