This is making me feel old.

It must have been at least a decade ago, maybe 15 years, that my brother, my cousins, and I began the tradition which would ultimately come to define Thanksgiving in my extended family. I don’t know if we ever named it or if it just became known as “make-Tyler-run-around-the-grandparents’-yard-for-as-long-as-possible-after-Thanksgiving-dinner.” Though this was the first time running became something for which I was known, it seemed to simply fall onto me, only as the resident ridiculous and extroverted cousin, not due to any apparent athletic ability.

The game went something like this. After an enormous Thanksgiving meal, my cousins and my brother would place bets on how many laps I’d be able to run around my grandparents’ large New Hampshire yard before… well… for those of you who have ever gone running right after eating, you probably get the idea. The gaggle of us would proceed outside where I’d begin my bout – usually completing only five minutes or so before turkey and my pre-adolescent attention span took over. My brother and cousins would, in turn, attempt to tackle me when I came around to the lap number rendering them the winner of the bet.  Such is life growing up with all-male extended family.

At some point, Thanksgiving moved from New Hampshire down to Massachusetts and our post-meal activities transformed from chaotic outdoor chases to what may be considered a normal American family’s behavior – food coma and football.

And so, there was a hiatus of a few years between the end of my Thanksgiving running career and when running snuck back into my life at the end of high school. But somehow, the two epochs never connected. I even ran a few races on various Thanksgiving mornings – running readers will recognize how Thanksgiving (along with other holidays like the 4th of July and St. Patrick’s Day) has become something of a staple day in the diet of road races. But then, it was just another race in a few dozen that I’d run each year. Nothing special.

This year, as I confirmed a brief visit to the Land of the Free (just in time for the most American of autumn holidays), I started to think about what I’d be doing for the short eight days I’d be surrounded by English, hot showers, and (hopefully) a few less stray dogs. With the start of our fundraising drive for the STIVE Center (a community center we’re developing in Pisaq to offer free educational and youth-empowerment resources), I began to brainstorm.

As I so often find myself, I was inspired by the work of one of my STRIVErs from this summer. This student had held a fundraiser in New York where he ran an incredible 16 miles (his longest run ever!) across most of the city, while gaining support from his family, friends, and classmates. The fundraiser was incredibly successful, raising around $6000, and so I started thinking about how I could create something similar that was still uniquely my own.

The answer had me digging back through the dusty attic of my memory until I stumbled up our old Thanksgiving tradition. It was the perfect launch pad and, after some scribbled notes into my already crowded notebook, I had a plan.

I call it the Five-Minute Fundraiser. Taking a page from my childhood tradition, I’ll be running until I can run no more. The difference now is that instead of stopping due to imminent turkey upheaval, I’ll be running hard, at a pace of five-minutes-per-mile (hence the name), until my legs become the limiting factor. Similarly pilfered from our old tradition comes the “game” aspect. Supporters can make a guess as to just how long I’ll make it and follow along during the event, with the closest guesses receiving some awesome prizes!

Getting down to the brass tacks: any donation of $5 or more made to the STRIVE Center before Thanksgiving Day 2013 entitles the donor to make a guess at the finishing time. Guesses can be submitted in the donation comment section on our electronic donation page or via email to contact@strivetrips.org. The closest three guess will be contacted via email and will receive prizes (including a $50 amazon.com gift card, a $100 discount from a STRIVE program, and some sweet STRIVE gear!). Every single dollar donated will go to the development of the Center, as the event itself has no cost to me (other than blood, sweat, and tears).

So, that’s it! Get your guesses in now at www.youcaring.com/strive and read the full announcement at www.strivetrips.org/5min.

By the way, blog readers, if you’re looking for a hint – in the past I have run 10 miles in just under 5-minute-pace and 13.1 miles at 5’06 pace, so a good guess would probably be between 10 and 13 miles (between 50 and 65 minutes).

I’m pretty pumped to see where this will go. Running for a cause has always motivated me to push myself to new levels and I have no doubt that that will be the case here. As much as I was always excited to visit my home-town, now I know for sure that it’ll be time (and sweat and pain) well spent.