Wanted: Runners to kick cancer
Published 9:00 pm Tuesday, February 2, 2016
Bon Secours Hampton Roads wants runners — and walkers — to help kick cancer’s butt.
The health care company is hosting the sixth annual Bon Secours 5K for Colon Cancer and 1-Mile Fun Walk on April 2 in North Suffolk.
The run begins at Bon Secours Health Center at Harbour View — near the $20 million, 58,000-square-foot cancer treatment center currently under construction — at 8 a.m. The walk begins at 9 a.m.
Runners can sign up as individuals or teams of at least three people, with a $5 discount per member for team registrations, according to a Bon Secours press release.
Advanced registration for the 5K is $30 per person; the cost jumps to $35 per person on race day. People can register online at bshr.com/5k. On-site registration and packet pickup runs from 6:30 to 8 a.m. April 2.
The fastest team and top male and female runners in the 5K will receive awards, according to the press release.
Organizers are hoping to see a large turnout for the event, which is designed to raise colon cancer awareness and funds for the Bon Secours Maryview Foundation Cancer Fund, said Bon Secours spokeswoman Lori Sharp. All proceeds will go to the foundation to help fund care for colon cancer patients locally, according to public relations coordinator Lori Sharp.
The colon cancer 5K has raised about $60,000 over the past three years, Sharp said. The funds have been used to buy equipment for the endoscopy department at the Bon Secours Health Center at Harbour View and provide free colon cancer screenings for people with limited resources, she said.
Colon cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer in the United States and third leading cause of cancer-related deaths nationwide, according to the American Cancer Society.