# Cancer Research UK’s Dryathlon returns for third year

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2014/11/20/cancer-research-uks-dryathlon-returns-third-year/
- Published: 2014-11-20T06:12:57+00:00
- Author: Howard Lake

Cancer Research UK’s month-long abstinence fundraising campaign Dryathlon® returns
in January for its third outing.

The campaign, which was piloted in 2013, took the simple and existing fundraising
idea of getting sponsored to give up alcohol for one month, and turned it, with 
some added gamification, humour, and digital and social creativity, into a successful
new annual campaign for the cancer charity.

[In 2013 35,000 participants, or Dryathletes™, raised over £3 million](https://www.fundraising.co.uk/2013/02/05/cruk039s-dryathlon-raises-over-3m/)
for the charity by the end of the 31-day willpower challenge. In 2014, 55,000 participants,
raised £5.8 million. They did so either by getting sponsored by friends and family
or pledging money they have saved by abstaining from alcohol over the course of 
the month.

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They can take part on their own or as part of a team.

![Dryathlon 2015 fundraising toolkit](https://wfay6x.infiniteuploads.cloud/2026/
09/dryathlon-2015-fundraising-toolkit.jpg)

Dryathlon 2015 fundraising toolkit

This year the [Dryathlon](http://dryathlon.org) website features interactive functions
including an ‘alcohol calculator’ which helps Dryathletes work out how much money
and how many calories are saved by going dry for January. There is also a willpower
test which enables participants to find out their ‘Will Power’ character, which 
they can then share online.

The humour is there too, with the ‘Tipple Tax’ – “If you slip off the wagon just
pay The Tipple Tax. Simply hang your head in shame and donate £20 to your JustGiving
page”.

Anthony Newman, Marketing Director at Cancer Research UK, commented:

> “Dryathlon’s first two years were a great success and the pressure is on for a
> third brilliant year. I’m really pleased with our ad campaign, developed with 
> Abbot Mead Vickers, which builds on all our learnings since launching Dryathlon
> in 2012. The ‘go dry’ market has become a lot more crowded since then, but I’m
> confident 2014/15 will do us proud.”

 

> .@Dryathlon is back! Sign up now for a booze-free January to help beat cancer 
> sooner: [http://t.co/bFfkWvYvgz](http://t.co/bFfkWvYvgz) [pic.twitter.com/2zKqIvuX3F](http://t.co/2zKqIvuX3F)
> — Cancer Research UK (@CR_UK) [November 18, 2014](https://twitter.com/CR_UK/status/534797446333755393?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)