WORK WEEK Challenge: a unique marathon through Utah is coming to Best Friends Animal Sanctuary on April 8

Why are seven top-tier, international business and creative executives attempting to complete seven marathons in seven disciplines for seven days in Utah? To launch the inaugural WORK WEEK with a goal of raising much needed funds for seven charities and awareness of the transformative power of outdoor fitness and adventure to create personal and global change.

“Utah is the perfect place for this to happen. You can do it all here, whether it’s skiing, hiking, or kayaking,” said Ricky Bowry, founder of WORK WEEK and creative director with BBDO in New York.

Best Friends Animal Society is one of the charitable organizations benefiting from the Work Week Challenge. The team is coming to Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah, for some bunny yoga after biking through Bryce Canyon, Escalante Staircase, and Scenic Byway 12.

“It’ll be relaxing to stretch out and hang with the bunnies after 100 miles,” Bowry said.

Bowry originally learned about Best Friends Animal Sanctuary from his wife, who was born and raised in Salt Lake City. They visited the Sanctuary a few years ago to volunteer, which left an impression on him.

“The WORK WEEK team is full of animal lovers, many of whom rescued their pets,” he said. “It made sense to come here, since it’s right at the back door of the second day of our challenge.”

Dig Deep, a non-profit focused on bringing clean running water to the Navajo Nation through Arizona, Utah and New Mexico, is another beneficiary of WORK WEEK.

“We want to honor the people whose land we are fortunate to be able to do the challenge on,” Bowry said.

By the end of the challenge, the WORK WEEK team expects to cross 300 miles, climb a total of 50,000 feet in elevation, burn 30,000 calories, and hit a high of 7,000 feet in altitude. Real-time updates can be found at Work Week on Instagram.

“Our goal is to create a movement to give anyone the opportunity to reach their highest physical and mental potential whilst creating a positive impact in the world,” Bowry said. “To us, putting in the work means building resilience to overcome obstacles, inspire bigger dreams, and unlock potential in all aspects of life.”

Best Friends Animal Society is a leading animal welfare organization working to end the killing of dogs and cats in America’s shelters and make the country no-kill in 2025. Founded in 1984, Best Friends is a pioneer in the no-kill movement and has helped reduce the number of animals killed in shelters from an estimated 17 million per year to 415,000 in 2023. Best Friends runs lifesaving programs across the country, as well as the nation’s largest no-kill animal sanctuary. Working collaboratively with a network of more than 5,000 animal welfare and shelter partners, and community members nationwide, Best Friends is working to Save Them All®. For more information, visit bestfriends.org.

Best Friends Animal Society has the most comprehensive, accurate data for sheltered dogs and cats in the United States, which is collected from over 7900 shelters and rescue groups.