7 days, 7 marathons: Helping pets and people

When it comes to fundraising for the animals, people have done just about everything to give back: lemonade stands, flash tattoo events, pet fashion shows, even shaving their heads. But Ricky Bowry, a creative director at the global advertising company BBDO, wanted to try something new.

Ricky and his wife, a Utah native, love spending time outdoors, which is how they discovered Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah, and a mutual love of the animals. So when Ricky struck upon the idea of Work Week — a seven-day, seven-marathon challenge where the courses include not only running but also skiing, biking, paddle boarding, and kayaking — he knew Utah was the perfect place to do it and that he wanted it to have a big impact.

Ricky recruited colleagues and friends to form a team of seven, who will take on the challenge together. The courses stretch from Park City, Utah, to the Grand Canyon. And the participants will get a much-needed snuggle break a few days in when they pass through the Sanctuary, visiting the animals as they prepare for the next event.

[Runners accept ‘ultra’ challenge to save dogs and cats]

As the group considered their motivations for pushing themselves physically, they chose seven charities to raise donations for to further inspire them and to give back. “We’re all doing this to challenge ourselves, but we wanted to dig deeper,” Ricky says. All of them animal lovers with pets at home (some even participating in their training), they chose to include Best Friends on their fundraising list.

With the Work Week challenge set to kick off April 7, they have already raised thousands of dollars to be split among their chosen charities, and a partner has promised to match every dollar gifted.

Much like Best Friends working alongside shelters to take the country to no-kill, the Work Week adventure is meant to be a group effort, not a competition.

[Just weeks after knee reconstruction surgery, Becky McCrea is walking across the country for the animals]

“The whole ethos of Work Week is if you put the work in, it will hopefully be a bit better and a bit easier because you're supporting each other, even during training,” Ricky says. “I think that's why it feels accessible — because you're doing it together. No one left behind.”

Our goal at Best Friends is to support all animal shelters in the U.S. in reaching no-kill in 2025. No-kill means saving every dog and cat in a shelter who can be saved, accounting for community safety and good quality of life for pets. 

Shelter staff can’t do it alone. Saving animals in shelters is everyone’s responsibility, and it takes support and participation from the community. No-kill is possible when we work together thoughtfully, honestly, and collaboratively.