Mount Afton Challenge

10/10/2026

TODAY IS WORLD MENTAL HEALTH DAY 💚

Your assignment, and it's not a lap:

Text one friend you haven't heard from in a while. Not "hope you're well." Ask how they're actually doing. Then wait for the real answer.

Costs you nothing. You have no idea what it might be worth.

988, call or text, anytime. Save it in your phone today.

10/06/2026

"WHERE DOES THE MONEY ACTUALLY GO?" 💵

Fair question. Here's the answer.

The F3 Foundation serves as fiduciary for the Mount Afton Challenge. F3F delivers the donation to NAMI Cabarrus Rowan Stanly, the local chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness. A small portion supports the mission of F3F.

On race day last January we held up a check for $25,000. Once every dollar came in and every bill was paid, the final number was higher.

So what does our local NAMI do?

Free, confidential support groups. For people living with a mental health condition. For the families who love them. For people who have lost someone to su***de.

Classes for families, and for people living with it.

Su***de prevention training for anyone who wants to learn how to help.

Not a national fund. Cabarrus, Rowan and Stanly counties. Our neighbors.

Free to sign up.
Register + donate: mountaftonchallenge.com

Need support now? Call or text 988, 24/7.

10/03/2026

50 AND COUNTING 📈

The first 50 are signed up for the Mount Afton Challenge. Every name on that list is one more person out on the loop with us on January 16.

That's more than triple where we were this time last year.

Run it, ruck it, or walk it. Two hours. One-mile laps. Afton Village.

Free to sign up.

Register + donate: mountaftonchallenge.com
Tap Going so you get the reminders: facebook.com/events/2010542112936247

10/01/2026

CAROLINA BUSINESSES, WE'RE BUILDING THE 2027 ROSTER 📣

The 7th Annual Mount Afton Challenge runs Saturday, January 16 in Afton Village.

Here is what your name gets attached to.

Last January, 636 people registered. On race day we handed NAMI Cabarrus Rowan Stanly a check for $25,000, and once every dollar came in the final number was higher. That money funds mental health and su***de prevention services in Cabarrus, Rowan and Stanly counties.

More than 40% of what we raise comes from sponsors. You would not be decoration on a banner. You are a large part of how this actually works.

The F3 Foundation serves as fiduciary and delivers the donation to NAMI Cabarrus Rowan Stanly. Contributions are tax deductible.

If your business wants in, or you know someone who would, send us a message and we will get you the packet.

mountaftonchallenge.com

And if you or someone you know is struggling, call or text 988. Free, confidential, 24/7.

09/29/2026

NEW HERE? THE CHALLENGE IN 60 SECONDS ⬇️

🗓 Saturday, January 16 | 8-10am | Afton Village
🔁 One-mile laps. As many as you can in two hours.
🏃 Runners. 🎒 Ruckers. 🚶 Walkers and families welcome.
🐐 Most laps takes the title: Mount Afton G.O.A.T.
💚 Free to sign up. Proceeds fund NAMI Cabarrus Rowan Stanly.

No pace requirements. No cutoffs. You vs. you.

Register + donate: mountaftonchallenge.com
Tap Going on the event so you get the reminders: facebook.com/events/2010542112936247

09/26/2026

Let us tell you why a bunch of grown adults run in circles in January.

Amway was one of us. At the workouts. In the group chats. At the coffee after.

On July 22, 2021, we lost him to su***de.

We're a workout group. We didn't have answers. But we had a road, and we had each other, and we knew how to show up on a Saturday morning.

The Challenge had been running less than a year when we lost him. That next January, it became what it is now. Laps around the Village every January, for mental health and su***de prevention through NAMI Cabarrus . Right here in our county.

Hundreds of people run Amway's road every winter now. Some knew him. Most didn't. All of them are part of the answer we wish we'd had.

He is not the only one this community has lost. He is the one we run for first, and we carry the others with us every lap.

January 16th. Come walk a lap with us.
mountaftonchallenge.com

And if you're struggling, hear this part: you are NOT a burden and you are NOT alone. Call or text 988, any hour. Or just show up to any F3 workout and stand next to us. That counts too.

09/22/2026

THE MOUNTAIN IS CALLING. AGAIN. 🏔

The 7th Annual Mount Afton Challenge is on.

🗓 Saturday, January 16, 2027
🕗 8:00am to 10:00am
📍 Afton Village, Concord

Two hours. One-mile laps. As many as you've got. Run it, ruck it, or walk it with your kids.

Here's why we do it. We lost one of our own, Damon 'Amway' Hudgens, to su***de. Every lap supports mental health and su***de prevention services through NAMI Cabarrus. Right here in our county.

Last year 636 of you signed up. This year we go bigger.

September is Su***de Prevention Month. Registration is open. Free to sign up, and we ask for a $30 donation if you can swing it. It's tax deductible.
mountaftonchallenge.com

If you or someone you know is struggling, call or text 988. Free, confidential, 24/7.

04/29/2026

NAMI Cabarrus 🫶

Strength in numbers. Impact in action. 🤝

We are always proud to receive the generous support of F3 AFTON as we advance our local mental health movement. Thank you for hosting the annual Mount Afton Challenge, which raises funds and awareness to help us build better lives 💙

Save The Date 👇

📅 Saturday, January 16, 2027 from 8am – 10am
📍 Afton Village - 5401 Village Drive NW Concord, NC US 28027