Racers and young scholars push beyond their limits in the 25th FANS 24 hour Race.

The race will take place on June 7-8th, starting at 8am at Lake Snelling in Fort Snelling State Park.

In less than two weeks, more than a hundred people will do something almost unthinkable in support of an amazing Pillsbury United Communities program.

We all sometimes fall into the belief that we are limited by our circumstances or that what we have done in the past is what we will do in the future. The FANS program, which stands for Furthering Achievement through a Network of Support, is celebrating 25 years of helping underestimated high school students from difficult urban neighborhoods earn a college education, and the FANS 24 Hour Race on June 7 (and 8th) will be enjoying its 25th year as the singular source for the FANS Scholarship fund. More than 100 people from all over the world will descend on Lake Snelling for the 25th time to run, walk, and move continuously for 24 hours.

Ultra marathons, also called ultra distance running and defined as any sport that involves running for longer than a traditional marathon, has been around for as long as people. In his bestselling book Born to Run, author Christopher McDougall hypothesizes that endurance running was an advantageous adaptation for early humans, allowing us to move quickly over a longer period of time than other creatures (who would tire faster during the search for food).

Yet, the idea of running continuously for double marathons, or 100 miles, or 24 hours, or even over the course of multiday races for 1000 miles, strikes most people as outrageous if not impossible. Why do it?

“You’re proving to yourself that you can do something that you will yourself to do,” says current event organizer Paul Sackett. He and his wife Pat have been leading the volunteer committee who organizes the race since 2004. They were brought into the experience early on by race founder Bob Frawley. An employee of Pillsbury United Communities, Bob is also an ultramarathoner. When registration for a well-known event in Colorado was filled, Bob decided to start his own race in Minneapolis. The race began with only 36 participants but has since grown to more than 117. The addition of a 12 hour component and, this year, a 6 hour leg has helped it grow.

Bob applied that same initiative to the creation of the FANS program. The problem of lifting children out of the circumstances into which they were born is well-documented. Children whose parents have not gone to college have a hard time getting to college themselves for both financial reasons and as a result of their inability to imagine themselves succeeding in that way.

For 25 years, the FANS program has offered a scholarship to any post-secondary institution for kids who complete the program as well as mentorship from successful community members, support services like ACT prep classes, college tours, and assistance applying for financial aid. The students also participate in workshops around employment readiness, sexual responsibility, and college readiness. They also participate in community service and practice leadership and civic involvement while they learn to develop individual action plans.

To date, over ONE MILLION dollars in scholarship funds have been earned by FANS graduates, and the project now involves 8-16 students a year in each of Pillsbury United Communities 5 neighborhood centers. FANS graduates are attending or have completed programs at the University of Minnesota, Augsburg College, University of Chicago, Dunwoody Institute, Normandale Community College, and many others.

Raquel Vences is a FANS graduate who is now a senior at Augsburg College. She says that she knew all through high school that “I was going to college and FANS was the main push for me.” She remembers that the college tours, which gave her a first hand look at what a campus experience could be, were an important motivator for her.

Her younger brother Joaquin also credits the program with helping him get to Augsburg College as well. “It’s very hard to find somewhere they didn’t help us in applying to college,” he says. “They even showed us how it would be emotionally. It’s not just money. I learned how to communicate, organize time, and how to figure out how to be in college.”

This year, Joaquin, who loves running, will be participating as part of the Pillsbury United Communities staff team in the 6 Hour portion of the race. “I just want to show that I’m grateful to the people who are doing it.”

Pat Sackett describes how running is often a solitary experience but this special FANS 24 Race “takes you out of that” and many of the participants show an incredible commitment to this event and the program it supports. One runner, Ed Rousseau, has participated in all 25 years. Another, Sue Olsen, wouldn’t miss the experience even when she was eight and half months pregnant. (She did walk that year). One runner went off to a father-daughter dance for a few hours but then came back to jump right back into the race.

The FANS program and the FANS 24 Hour Race—proving that no matter what we think our limitations, with a combination of support and personal will power, we can push beyond them.