‘The 4th Musketeer’ is a men’s movement that seeks to inspire people’s heart and create worldwide waves of justice. This mission is primarily carried out by ‘eXtreme Character Challenges’ (XCC) and ‘Muskathlons’.
XCC ///
An XCC is a mind, body and soul adventure - an active and challenging endurance event for men, out in the wild. The XCC is set up like one endless day and for 72 hours men are confronted with significant physical challenges, deep comradery and over 20 moments of spiritual input. The culmination of the XCC is to lead men to the highest place on earth: the foot of the cross. Every man who completes an XCC receives a red polo shirt with a number four, signifying they have become a Musketeer – a servant of the King.
Muskathlon ///
A Muskathlon is an ultimate endurance event – like a marathon – set in a remote area. All participants (men & women) are expected to raise significant funds to further the worldwide battle for justice. These funds are donated towards the work of three charities: Compassion, Open Doors and A21. These organisations work in three different areas to help children out of poverty, to rescue women and girls trapped in sex slavery and to support those who are persecuted for their faith. In short, Muskathlons make a big impact in real people’s lives and fight injustice in our lifetime.
4M Worldwide ///
Started in 2008, 4M (the 4th Musketeer) is spreading worldwide, with bases currently in 7 countries and over 8,000 Musketeers. And the numbers are growing exponentially worldwide as each national 4M movement is growing from dozens of men to hundreds, to thousands. The expectation is that 4M will have 20,000 Muskathletes worldwide by 2020.
More info about 4M
A Muskathlon week consists of 3 components:
- Finding out about injustice. Visiting those most in need and hearing their stories. You will be impacted forever.
- Strengthening faith. Devotions and times of spiritual impact are central to the experience. You will come back changed and inspired!
- The Muskathlon: the highlight of the week. An early start culminates in a celebration at the finish line. This will be a milestone in your life!
Muskathlon: What’s expected?
- Each participant is expected to run, walk, climb or cycle a significant distance.
- Each participant is expected to raise at least USD 10,000 that is donated to help in the fight against injustice.
- In addittion, participants must also pay their own travel expenses.
- Each Muskathlete will have a personal page on muskathlon.com, which includes a fundraising tracker and space for other encouraging items.
Muskathlon history
After having experienced an XCC men came home inspired and were seeking opportunities to stand up for justice and help others in need. 4M realised a cutting edge model was needed – one that would expose men to the raw reality of injustices around the world and inspire them to action in significant ways. The Muskathlon was born.
In partnership with Compassion, the 4th Musketeer organised the first Muskathlon in 2012 in the hill country of Rwanda. 30 Dutch men ran half or full marathons and raised 306,000 Euros. It was only the beginning.
In 2013, 130 men participated in a Muskathlon in Uganda, benefiting both Compassion International and Open Doors with 1.4 million Euros.
170 men and women participated in 2014 in three countries: Ethiopia and Uganda for Compassion and Israel for Open Doors, together raising an astounding 1.8 million Euros.
300 men and women raised more than 3 million Euros in 2015 through their participation in Muskathlons for Compassion (in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania), Open Doors (in Israel and the Palestian Authorities), and – for the first time – A21 (in Bulgaria-Greece).
In 2016, almost 500 participants joined 8 Muskathlons in the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda (Compassion), Egypt-Jordan (Open Doors), Bulgaria-Greece and South Africa (A21). They raised more than 4.7 million Euros.
Six Muskathlons have been organised in 2017 in Uganda, Rwanda and Indonesia benefiting Compassion, in Lebanon and Sri Lanka benefiting Open Doors. In Bulgaria-Greece a great, last Muskathlon benefiting A21 was organised. We are thankful for the partnership with A21 in the past three years.
In 2018, Muskathlons to the Philippines, Ethiopia and Indonesia (Compassion), Sri Lanka and Jordan (Open Doors) will be organised by 4M Netherlands. 4M UK will organise their first Muskathlon to Kenya 4M; Germany and Switzerland will organise their first Muskathlon to Tanzania.
