Whether you run, walk, cheer on the sidelines or even stay in bed, you can help beat cancer by lending your support to the 2013 Winship Win the Fight 5K being held this Saturday, October 5.
This is the third annual Winship 5K. The two previous races exceeded expectations for number of participants and for fund-raising, so the bar has been set high.
"There is terrific energy across the campus and in the community around this event," says Walter J. Curran, Jr., MD, executive director of Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University. According to Curran, there are at latest count 147 teams registered and many are new to the event this year. There are over 1,500 individuals who have donated their support to the race and even more participants registered to run or walk.
"I’ve seen many creative uses of social media deployed to extend awareness of the event and to expand the donor base," says Curran. There is friendly jostling among the lead teams in fundraising, he says, and it appears that several will exceed $20,000 per team in donations. Overall, this year’s Winship 5K fundraising is already over $352,000 and counting, and this year’s event is likely to establish a new record of support.
A unique aspect of the Winship Win the Fight 5K is that participants can direct their tax-deductible donations to benefit specific cancer research based on their personal interests. Funds can be directed to one of 18 different areas or to the Winship Director's Fund.
The Winship Win the Fight 5K has become a premier fall race/walk in Atlanta. A Peachtree Road Race qualifier, the Winship 5K takes place in historic and beautiful Druid Hills and on the Emory University campus.
The event begins at 8:30 a.m., Saturday, October 5, at Emory University’s McDonough Field. Legendary University of Georgia football coach Vince Dooley and his wife Barbara will fire the starting gun and serve as Grand Marshalls for the event. Free parking is available in the Peavine and Michael Street decks.
For complete event information, or to contribute towards the Winship 5K fundraising goal to support cancer research, see winship5K.emory.edu.