Frequently Asked Questions

Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center's marathon program was named after running legend and New York City Marathon co-founder Fred Lebow. While being treated for cancer at Memorial Sloan-Kettering, Fred would jog up and down the hospital corridors. In 1992, he ran the entire New York City Marathon. "Running the marathon is the best way I know to fight this disease," he said. Fred Lebow shared Memorial Sloan-Kettering's vision and goal of a world without cancer. His commitment and spirit have lived on for more than ten years -- runners have raised over $32 million for innovative cancer research and patient care initiatives.

Fred's Team is open to first-time runners and veteran marathoners. No experience is necessary -- only the commitment to our cause is necessary. The Fred's Team staff will assist you to achieve two goals: raising significant funds for cancer research and getting you across the finish line. We want to ensure that your experience is both personally rewarding and memorable, and that you have the tools in place to facilitate your fundraising and training efforts.

Registration for Fred's Team is a two-part process. The first step is to register for the event itself (e.g. The Bank of America Chicago Marathon, the 112th Boston Marathon, or the ING New York City Marathon). Next, you need to register for Fred's Team. To register, please click here. Please contact our staff at 800-876-7522 if you have any difficulty registering.

As a sponsor of the ING New York City Marathon and in affiliation with New York Road Runners' Charity Program, Fred's Team has a limited number of guaranteed spots* available for its team members. However, we ask that you first try and secure a spot through the ING New York City Marathon lottery process. Visit the Marathon's Web site for details at www.ingnycmarathon.org. If you do not gain entry on your own, but have signed up early with Fred's Team, we can help secure a spot for you. You must fulfill your fundraising commitment two weeks before race day in order to participate. Please see the fundraising section for specific deadlines.

* If you've run with us in the past, any outstanding pledges must be fulfilled in order to qualify for one of these spots.

If you have run in nine New York Road Runner races or if you have gotten a spot through the lottery, you can run with Fred's Team. Please register here.

To be included in the ING New York City Marathon lottery, US residents have until 11:59 PM EDT on June 1, 2008, to submit their applications. Non-US lottery applications will be accepted until 11:59 PM on May 1, 2008.

The lottery takes place in mid-June. If you are not accepted into the marathon through this lottery, you can still register with Fred's Team. Registering for Fred's Team without a lottery number will not guarantee you an entry in the marathon, but will make you eligible for consideration for the limited number of reserved entries available to Fred's Team members. (See Question 3.)

We anticipate that Fred's Team will have over 750 runners in this year's New York City Marathon with a cumulative fundraising goal of $4 million. Registration for Fred's Team New York will open in early April 2008.

Yes, we do maintain a wait list for interested participants. We will notify our runners by late September if an entry has become available. It is impossible to predict whether spots will become available, but we appreciate your interest in running with Fred's Team and will notify you if an entry spot has opened.

Registration for the Boston Marathon is currently open for runners who have qualified based on a designated time standard corresponding to his or her age group. The event is limited to 22,500 athletes. Entries from athletes meeting the qualifying times will be accepted until the maximum field is reached. For more information about the Boston Marathon and the qualification process, visit www.bostonmarathon.org. Registration for Fred's Team Boston is currently open as well. Please note that registration for Fred's Team is a two-part process -- you must register with Fred's Team and the Marathon separately.

Registration for The 2008 Bank of America Chicago Marathon will open early February. Visit www.chicagomarathon.com or call 312-904-9800 for more information. Registration typically closes in May; however the earlier you register, the earlier you can begin training and fundraising. Registration for Fred's Team Chicago will open in February as well. Please note that registration for Fred's Team is a two-part process -- you must register with Fred's Team and the Marathon separately.

Team members train together with our coach, wear a team uniform, and participate in a kick-off event and post-race party. The morning of the marathon, there will be a team breakfast and group photo before taking escorted buses together to the start line. Based on your fundraising level, you might qualify for a two-night hotel stay. To learn more, click here. Also, our team's top New York City fundraisers wear a special bracelet and are granted access to the "Celebrity Finish Area" immediately after their run where they can be greeted by Fred's Team staff, volunteers, receive care, and pick up their luggage.

Each Fred's Team runner receives a personal page within our team Web site to personalize, track fundraising, keep contacts, and share his or her story. Donors may visit your site and make a secure gift to your run. This is an easy way to increase your fundraising. Fred's Team staff provides a weekly e-newsletter, including fundraising tips to help you reach and surpass your pledge. We also have a fundraising letter template, brochures, contribution, and pledge forms available on our Web site and upon request.

Over 80 percent of funds raised by Fred's Team runners directly benefit Memorial Sloan-Kettering.

The Aubrey Fund for Pediatric Cancer Research began in 1997 at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. It is named for Aubrey Barr, a woman who was treated for acute lymphoblastic leukemia at Memorial Sloan-Kettering as a child and was cured. Aubrey is a dedicated member of Fred's Team and runs several marathons a year.

The primary source of support for The Aubrey Fund comes from Fred's Team. Memorial Sloan-Kettering's unique multidisciplinary approach offers children with cancer and potentially lethal blood disorders the best opportunity for accurate diagnosis and the most effective treatment available.

If you would like to designate your funds to a particular research area, please select a "special fund" when registering and indicate the research area you wish to support. Funds cannot be redirected after fundraising has started. Should you require further assistance, please contact us at 800-876-7522.

There are several ways to contribute to Memorial Sloan-Kettering. Donors may visit your personal Web site to make a secure, online donation by credit card. Alternatively, checks made out to "Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center" should be mailed to:

Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
Attn: Fred's Team
PO Box 27432
New York, NY 10087-7432

Please remind donors to write your runner ID number and race code on each check to ensure you receive proper credit for their gift.

Many companies have matching gift programs that "match" charitable contributions that their employees choose to make. This can double -- and sometimes triple -- the amount of a donation at no additional cost to the employee.

When you ask your friends and family to contribute to your Fred's Team fundraising goal, remember to ask if they work for a company with a matching gift program. These programs vary from company to company. Your donor should check with his or her human relations department to find out if Memorial Sloan-Kettering is on the list of charities the company supports, and determine the steps necessary for having a gift matched.

Please have your donors mail any matching gift forms to the following address:*

Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
Attn: Fred's Team
633 Third Avenue, 28th Floor
New York, NY 10017

If you have any questions, contact Fred's Team at 800-876-7522.

*Donations made by check should be mailed to a different address. See Question 14 for that address and for additional information about how to make a gift.

The 2008 race codes are as follows:

• Bank of America Shamrock Shuffle is E08MPDSS.
• Boston Marathon is E08MPDBO.
• Bank of America Chicago Marathon is E08MPDCH.
• NYC Half-Marathon Presented by NIKE code is E08MPNYH.
• ING New York City Marathon code is E08MPDNY.

All "off-calendar" and miscellaneous races are coded E08MPMSC.

We encourage you to share your story and personalize your Web page as much as you want -- the more your friends and family know about your commitment, the more likely they will support you. However, identification of former or current cancer patients and the details of their illness is considered confidential information and approval to publish this information must be obtained from the patients and/or their caregivers. Fred's Team staff are available to help runners with this concern. In addition to this personal information, runners' fundraising progress and an online donation application are available. If you have any questions, contact us at 800-876-7522 or by e-mail at fredsteam@mskcc.org.

When a donation is made online, it is processed automatically and is added toward your fundraising total -- both in our offices and on your Web page. The process is different for off-line donations (those made by check or money order). Off-line gifts will be processed and counted toward your fundraising total within seven to ten business days -- but these donations are not added to your Web page. It is your responsibility to add these gifts to your Web total so you keep an accurate count of what you have raised to-date.

Our staff will send you financial reports of your fundraising total on request so you can check the total according to our records.

Planning an event is an excellent and enjoyable way to raise funds. The staff can help support all of our team members by including events in the calendar section of the weekly e-newsletter. Please call 800-876-7522 or send your event details to fredsteam@mskcc.org.

When you have completed raising half the amount of your pledge, you will receive your team uniform which is comprised of a singlet, shorts, and long-sleeve shirt. You may select your size preferences when you register online.

Funds are due two weeks prior to the respective race that you have entered. (Returning Fred's Team members, please note that this deadline is earlier than in previous years.) This deadline is in place to ensure that every runner fulfills his or her fundraising commitment. If funds are not received by the deadline, we reserve the right to cancel your entry with the respective race or marathon.

If you have any questions about the policy, please e-mail us at fredsteam@mskcc.org.

Jeff Rochford, an alumnus of Fred's Team, is a certified trainer and serves as team coach. He is accessible to runners throughout their training and leads long runs every Saturday morning through Manhattan. Jeff also organizes hill and speedwork each Tuesday night. If you are training in an area outside of New York, please let us know, and we can help you find/form smaller running groups in your area, or find a running companion.

If you're training for the Chicago Marathon, your Fred's Team participation includes membership to Chicago Area Runners Association (CARA), so you will not be running alone.

Once you have registered with Fred's Team, we will send you our mileage chart, and every Monday you will receive our team e-newsletter with tips from our trainer, nutrition notes, upcoming race details, and information about weekend training runs.

In the event that you become injured or ill and are unable to participate in your event, we will allow you to apply the funds you raised to another event within 12 months of your scheduled original race. You will be required to submit a doctor's note (by mail, e-mail or fax, at 212-557-8274). It is your responsibility to contact the staff at Fred's Team when you would like to rejoin a team within the designated time period.

If you want to submit your letter by mail, please send it to the following address:

Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
Attn: Fred's Team
633 Third Avenue, 28th Floor
New York, NY 10017