For many Las Vegas visitors, 5:30 a.m. is more like bedtime. Yet on Thursday, May 30, shortly after sunrise, 165 JCK showgoers gathered at Mandalay Bay Convention Center to run, bike, or walk in Jewelers for Children’s inaugural Rings of Strength tour.

“Sleep deprivation is what Las Vegas is all about,” quipped Caleen Johnson, executive director of Make-A-Wish Nevada, one of JFC’s charity partners.

The runners and walkers followed an out-and-back 5K (3.1 mile) route on Las Vegas Boulevard. The cyclists took a less urban, more scenic 15K or 50K route through Gardens Park. (Local store McGhie’s provided rental bikes to participants; Malca-Amit shipped bikes, gratis, for serious Los Angeles, New York City, and Miami riders.)

The event—conceived by JFC board member Rebecca Foerster of Rio Tinto Diamonds—raised nearly $40,000 for JFC. “I think it’s a terrific way to give back,” said Megan Featherston, president of fine jewelry for Sears Holdings, who vowed to bring her running shoes back to JCK in 2014: “Next year, I promise to go faster!”

JCK