Security 5K Returns For Second Year At ISC West

ISC West invariably involves a lot of running around, but on the third day of the show, Thursday, April 7, the security industry will be racing for a different reason.

For the second year in a row, Mission 500 is hosting the Security 5K, and founder George Fletcher said he expects an even bigger turnout.

“Last year, the feedback was great. People were enthusiastic about participating and doing something good for the world,” Fletcher said. “This was a big crowd to rally around one event. It just felt that this had the makings of being something really big and interesting.”

Previously, ISC West management had given Mission 500 a the use of a tabletop to hold raffles and silent auctions for equipment donated by various companies, with all proceeds going to children’s welfare organization WorldVision. Fletcher said he wanted more.

“We kept pressing ISC and the organizers to see if we could use that stage (of the conference) to do something on a larger scale so that we could have a greater effect,” Fletcher said.

The result was the Security 5K. Last year’s debut run attracted five corporate sponsors and 300 registered runners, 270 of whom showed up to the race. In total, it raised $35,000, which Fletcher said would sponsor about 100 children.

Many, it seems, initially heard about the race from Fletcher himself.

“When he approached me about this, I signed up for it immediately,” said Fredrik Nilsson, general manager of Axis Communications. “Knowing him to be such a good person, I signed up not even knowing what I was getting into. I then gave him a promise to sponsor it last year because I thought it was such a great event.”

This year, it’s even bigger. The 2011 Security 5K has not only doubled its number of corporate sponsors, but it also has T-shirt, bracelet and timekeeping sponsors. Three weeks before the race, Fletcher said 260 people had signed up to run, and Mission 500 is aiming to raise $100,000.

That money will come from sponsors, the $30 entry fee and funds the runners raise themselves -- about 40 percent of runners also raise additional money, Fletcher said. The race will feature an award for the top fundraiser, who will get the opportunity to visit a WorldVision development project.

“Social media nowadays makes it a lot easier to get pledges,” said Domenic Locapo, PR specialist at Axis. “I was able to put it up on Twitter and Facebook -- I hadn’t done this in years, and I set a goal of $500 -- and before I knew it, I was almost 75 percent of the way toward my goal. Twenty dollars here and there really adds up.”

Mission 500 set up a page on FirstGiving.com that allows runners to track their fundraising and invite their friends to donate.

In addition to raising extra funds, runners are preparing to face off against their real-life business competitors -- with team names and themed outfits.

“We wanted to show our company spirit, so we can probably be most remembered for our bright orange team shirts last year,” said Jay Kenny, marketing director for sponsor Alarm.com. “This year, we have a big team again -- a dozen people signed up so far -- and we’ll be there in style, though the color of our shirts for 2011 remains undisclosed.”

When he learned of Alarm.com’s plans, Nilsson was ready with a retort. “We will for sure make sure we have even more colorful T-shirts than theirs,” he said with a laugh.

Posted on Mar 29, 2011