Want to help less fortunate children in Pierce County this holiday season and get in a good workout? Then perhaps Gig Harbor’s Anytime Fitness’ second annual 12-Hour Forgotten Children’s Fundraiser is for you.  The event is set to take place from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., on Wednesday, Dec. 12, at Anytime Fitness, located at 5275 Olympic Drive NW.

“You don’t have to be a member,” said club manager Anya Edgley-Turpin. “It’ll be an open house.”

In addition, Anytime Fitness will be hosting a toy donation drive and will be awarding prizes and serving refreshments throughout the day.

Here’s how the fundraiser works: Club members and guests will  have the chance to participate in the 12-hour treadmill challenge, during which time staff members from Anytime Fitness will run for 12 consecutive hours on treadmills to raise funds.

“All three treadmills will be going nonstop for 12 hours,” Edgley-Turpin said of staff members who will be taking turns on the running machines, explaining that for a flat $25 pledge, people can have as much time as they want on a treadmill up to 12 hours.

Participants can run at their own pace or challenge themselves by running against Anytime Fitness staffers, Edgley-Turpin said.

During last year’s fundraiser, Edgley-Turpin ran the full 12 hours.

“I’m a long-distance runner and I’ve ran 12-hour races,” she said.

Running for 12 straight hours on a treadmill is not as boring as it might seem, according to Edgley-Turpin.

“It was actually really, really fun, It’s not monotonous with lots of other people around,” she said. “They can’t go anywhere. They’re trapped on a treadmill.”

She’s taking it easy this time.

“This year, I’ll be doing four hours,” she said, explaining that she’s pregnant.

Running indoors on a treadmill has many advantages, she said, including preventing the more aerobically fit from losing the endurance-challenged during an outdoor run.

Other advantages, she pointed out, include not having to worry about the possibility of inclement weather, the availability of food and drink at the club and having restrooms nearby.

Edgley-Turpin anticipates about 40 people will turn out take part in the treadmill challenge.

For those interested, Anytime Fitness is accepting donations in the form of unwrapped toys, clothing, accessories and money. All donations go straight to the Forgotten Children’s Fund of Pierce County, an all volunteer organization that works to raise money to purchase, wrap and deliver gifts to children in need and their families.

If you would like to make a donation of some kind in support of the 12-Hour Forgotten Children’s Fundraiser, contact Edgley-Turpin by phone at 253-509-2747, or via email at gigharborwa@anytimefitness.com.

Last year’s effort brought in a large amount of toys and $1,500 in cash.

Reporter Brett Davis can be reached at 253-358-4151 or by email at brett.davis@gateline.com. Follow him on Twitter @gateway_brett.