Fundraising for NICU Families
Three Years Running (so far!)
The NICU is a marathon.
Imagine running 147 miles.
Now imagine being in the NICU for 147 days.
Each requires endurance, resilience, clarity of focus, and sheer love to remain focused on a hopeful future beyond this moment.
We’re running a ton of miles for NICU babies and their families.
Since our inception, 4those has relied on generous donations from friends and strangers supporting our mission of bringing hope and healing to neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) families around Colorado. Whether inspired by our story, or moved to uplift our cause because of their own family stories in the NICU, we are exceedingly grateful for your support.
Today, our primary fundraising initiatives are centered around endurance sports, mainly running – and running hundreds of miles. Not only have endurance sports brought us solace, contemplation, a place to rage, a place to smile, and a chance to conquer things that feel impossible, these sports feel like ideal moving metaphors for the NICU journey.
You push forward, endlessly. At any moment, you can be caught off guard. You can be pleasantly surprised. You can rejoice in a moment of not great news that isn’t the worst news. You are challenged. You face the deepest lows and the most ecstatic highs. You discover incredible things. You are changed.
In 2023, 4those Founder Steph Hauser ran 147 continuous miles over two days, one mile for each day her son Zev was in the NICU. The first ever #Run4Those event was designed to bring awareness and funds to our cause: bringing hope, healing, and possibility to families facing the journey of extreme prematurity. The event raised over $50,000.
In 2024, Steph’s fundraising feat of endurance was to run 14.7 miles every single day for 147 days, each day a reflection and a celebration of the 147 days Zev was in the NICU and all that has bloomed since this season. Her 2024 running streak raised over $20,000 for our families facing their own long NICU stays.
In 2025, Steph will again run 147 miles solo, in preparation for 4those’s cornerstone event in 2026: running 1470 miles around Colorado to bring our message and mission to NICU communities across the state - by foot!
2026’s #Run4Those ultramarathon will take place over 4-5 weeks, with a fundraising goal of $500,000 to fund the future of 4those: a fully accessible and adapted retreat center for NICU kids and their families to thrive in ways they never thought possible during their time in the NICU.
Running 1470 miles might sound impossible, but so too can the promise of a future when a family is facing the realities in the NICU. Join us as we show that nothing is impossible, bringing hope to families across Colorado.
Ahead, we look forward to facilitating a whole suite of endurance fundraising initiatives, where you, too, might run! These will include a 1.47M run, 14.7M run, 147M run relay, 147M ultramarathon and 147M bike.
