K-Fit Boutique Gym, a women’s-only gym in Valley Stream, was buzzing with activity from June 5 to 7 as staff, members and nonmembers participated in the David Goggins 4x4x48 Challenge for the fourth time.
Created by renowned endurance athlete, motivational speaker, former Navy SEAL and former U.S. Air Force member David Goggins, the physical challenge is completed by tens of thousands of athletes each year. Participants are required to run or walk four miles every four hours for 48 hours, during which supporters can donate money to the charity each athlete is running for.
“I decided to do it myself and then bring my gym along with it,” Karina Melo, the owner of K-Fit, said. “So I essentially invited all of my community to do it with me, and what we decided to do is to turn it into a fundraiser, or what I like to call a ‘fit-raiser.’”
This year, Melo chose to support Strong Paws Rescue, an organization that rescues dogs at risk of euthanasia and helps place them in loving homes, as her charity for the challenge. Founded in 2019, Strong Paws Rescue prides itself on being the first and only gym-themed dog rescue, according to its website.
“A friend of mine, who actually is a foster mom for them, happened to send me a post that they had made looking for gyms to host classes in order to collect funds for the foundation, so in my mind, knowing that I was already planning to do this, I said, ‘Hold on, I’ll do you one better,’” Melo said. “I’ll host an entire weekend of running, and we can collect the funds for you guys.”
K-Fit donated a dollar for every mile completed.
Erika Schacht and her husband, Jovel Velasquez, adopted their dog Aspen from Strong Paws Rescue. Schacht, who participated in the challenge, said it combined two things she enjoys: running and dogs. For her, the most rewarding part was pushing herself to run so much in such a short time and raising money for a good cause.
“I think it’s awesome, [the money] raised to go to Strong Paws,” Schacht said.
While the gym itself is exclusive to women, anyone was permitted to sign up and participate in the challenge. In fact, many members and staff brought their families along to run some of the miles, including K-Fit coach Katherine Perez.
“A lot of my family, my daughter, my nephews, nieces, my brothers and my sisters-in-law are actually joining us later,” Perez said before the group began the first four miles.
The first set of four miles started at 4 p.m. June 5, and the last set ended June 7 at around noon. K-Fit does not require anyone to register in advance, so people do not feel committed to it.
For each set of four miles, participants left from K-Fit’s location at Sunrise Plaza, ran to Hendrickson Park, ran around the park’s lake twice and ran back to K-Fit. The distance is exactly four miles.
“When you get to the park, there is a beautiful path just for runners,” Melo said. “There are trees, which give you a good amount of shade, and then there’s the lake in the middle; sometimes there are dogs. It’s very relaxing, very beautiful. You see kids, all types of people running, on their skateboards, on their bicycles, just enjoying themselves and the freedom of movement and their health.”
Participating in the 4x4x48 Challenge not only helps the organization it supports but also greatly benefits those who run and walk it.
“Because I decided to challenge myself to this strenuous 48 miles in 48 hours, I get to not only raise funds for a cause that is going to benefit a bunch of families, a bunch of puppies, but also is going to spark a light in many of the people and families from my community to move, which is good for themselves, for a better cause,” Melo said.
