(April 6, 2017) The sixth annual Susan G. Komen Foundation’s Race for the Cure takes place Saturday, on the Ocean City Boardwalk, to raise awareness and funds for breast cancer research.
“It’s an opportunity to celebrate those who have survived breast cancer, honor those who are living with breast cancer and remember those we have lost to the disease,” said Kim Schmulowitz, communications and marketing director of Komen Maryland.
The event supports breast cancer research by raising awareness and funds with a timed 5K, a 5K fun run or walk and a 1-mile family walk.
“Though it is called, Race for the Cure, only about 20 percent of participants run the event, while 80 percent walk,” Schmulowitz said. “It is a fun and beautiful race route along Ocean City’s iconic boardwalk.”
Since the inaugural event in 2012, Ocean City cancer survivors, supporters and race participants have contributed more than $1.3 million to the organization.
“Since one in eight women in the U.S. will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime, it’s a disease that touches so many lives,” Schmulowitz said. “Komen Maryland is working to better the lives of those facing breast cancer in the local community and funding national research into the cures for breast cancer.”
The Race Village at the inlet parking lot opens at 7:30 a.m. for registration. Event sponsors will have booths set up, and coffee, doughnuts, water, granola bars, bananas and apples will be provided by Dunkin’ Donuts, Seacrets and Applebee’s.
In addition, Backshore Brewery, located on 10th Street and the Boardwalk, will offer participants 21 and older one complimentary beer ticket to redeem after the race inside the beer garden.
A Kids for the Cure tent will feature various outdoor activities including hula hoops and sidewalk chalk.
DJ Rupe and DJ Wax will be on hand to provide entertainment at the main and starting line stages, respectively.
Check out booths from Today’s 101.9 radio station, Seacrets, Casino at Ocean Downs, Applebee’s, Atlantic General Hospital, Peninsula Regional Medical Center, the OC Chamber of Commerce and Ayers Creek Adventures.
There will be a donation area in addition to a breast cancer survivor tent.
A pre-race warmup led by Cross Fit Ocean City kicks off festivities before the 5K begins at 9 a.m.
The race starts on the Boardwalk at the inlet and continues north to 15th Street, where participants will turn around and walk or run back.
There will be an awards ceremony for the top finishers at 10 a.m.
At 10:40 a.m., the survivor’s Parade of Pink parade begins at the Survivor’s Tent in the village. They will then gather for a group photo before a dance party breaks out with DJ Rupe at the main stage.
Last year, 1,867 people participated in the Ocean City race, which raised $124,000 from registration, donations and cash sponsorships, Schmulowitz said.
“This event is so much more than a 5K,” she said. “Komen is the world’s largest breast cancer organization, funding more breast cancer research than any other nonprofit while providing help to those facing the disease. In the fall of 2016, Komen set a bold goal to reduce the current number of breast cancer deaths by 50 percent in the U.S. by 2026.
“Komen plans to reach this goal by funding even more research into the deadliest forms of breast cancer and by addressing health care inequities,” she continued. “Access to care is especially an issue in rural populations like the Eastern Shore.”
As of Monday morning, 1,157 participants and 107 teams had signed up, with a goal to generate at least $175,000 this year.
“About half of the participants sign up in the last two weeks before the race,” Schmulowitz said.
Bobby Hammond, a 2006 graduate of Stephen Decatur High School and owner of Atlantic Physical Therapy, will participate in his sixth race on Saturday. He came in first place three times and took second twice.
“A lot of people have been affected by breast cancer and the prevalence on the Eastern Shore is high,” Hammond said. “Susan G. Komen urges people to go out and get check-ups and mammograms.”
Dozens of therapists, staff members and patients from eight Atlantic Physical Therapy offices on the Eastern Shore have signed up to participate in the race, he said.
“Come out and support the Susan G. Komen Foundation,” Hammond said. “The organization does a lot of good for people in our community.”
The Race for the Cure in Ocean City has evolved into a weekend-long event and even encompasses activities in Berlin this year.
Ropewalk on 82nd Street will have a pre-race celebration on Friday, from 5-8 p.m. with complimentary hot appetizers and happy hour drink specials.
After the race, a “Pink Party and Costume Contest” hosted by the Town of Berlin kicks off. Visitors will find pink discounts in shops in addition to food and drink specials at restaurants. Proceeds benefit Komen Maryland with pink beer from Burley Oak Brewing Company and Big Oyster Brewery. Check out live music at Fins Ale House and Raw Bar.
The costume contest will take place at 3 p.m. where participants are asked to dress in their best pink outfits. Prizes are sponsored by Beach and Beyond.
The adult winner will take home a pink Kitchenaide mixer, a pink-striped backpack and a free monogram from Victorian Charm.
The child with the best pink outfit will win a pink scooter and a Simply Southern pink backpack courtesy of Victorian Charm. A pink gorilla plush toy will be awarded to the best-dressed pet.
Seacrets on 49th Street will host a post-race celebration on Saturday, April 8, from 6-8 p.m. with complimentary appetizers, happy hour drink prices and deejay. A $5 donation to the Susan G. Komen Foundation is suggested.
Walk-up registration for the sixth annual Ocean City Race for the Cure is Friday at the Princess Royale Hotel on 91st Street from 12-7 p.m. The cost to register in advance is $35 for timed chip runners or $30 for the fun run. Children ages 11 and under can participate in the family 1-mile walk for $15.
Race day registration begins at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday at the Race Village in the inlet parking lot. The cost to sign up the day of the race is $40 for the fun run and $20 for children to participate. There is no registration the day of the race for the timed event.
Parking at the inlet will be limited to those with a handicap permit. Others can park for free at the Public Safety Building on 65th Street, at Northside Park on 125th Street or at the municipal lot at 100th Street and ride the Ocean City bus to the Race Village. The bus costs $3 for an all-day pass.
Besides Ocean City, Komen Maryland will host a Race for the Cure event in Baltimore this year, which will take place on Sunday, Oct. 15, at McHenry Row. In addition, 128 races are planned in the United States and 14 international Race for the Cure events will be going on in 2017 to help eradicate breast cancer.
“Susan G. Komen’s mission is to save lives by meeting the most critical needs in our communities and investing in breakthrough research to prevent and cure breast cancer,” Schmulowitz said. “Seventy-five percent of the net funds we raise from all events and donations go to local breast health programs.”
In 2017, Komen Maryland awarded thousands of dollars to Eastern Shore grant programs including the St. Agnes Hospital Foundation, the University of Maryland Medical System Foundation, Wicomico County Health Department, the Meritus Healthcare Foundation, the Northwest Hospital Center, Moveable Feast, Maintaining Active Citizens and Nueva Vida.
In addition, the remaining funds contributed to national research through Komen headquarters and address new early detection technologies, more effective treatments and the understanding of metastasis by treating and preventing recurrence, Schmulowitz said.
“Fundraising is an important component of the Race for the Cure,” she said. “We depend on so much more than the race registration fee to meet our goals in funding local breast health programs and national research.”
For more information, call 410-938-8990 or visit www.komenmd.org to donate.
“It’s an opportunity to celebrate those who have survived breast cancer, honor those who are living with breast cancer and remember those we have lost to the disease,” said Kim Schmulowitz, communications and marketing director of Komen Maryland.
The event supports breast cancer research by raising awareness and funds with a timed 5K, a 5K fun run or walk and a 1-mile family walk.
“Though it is called, Race for the Cure, only about 20 percent of participants run the event, while 80 percent walk,” Schmulowitz said. “It is a fun and beautiful race route along Ocean City’s iconic boardwalk.”
Since the inaugural event in 2012, Ocean City cancer survivors, supporters and race participants have contributed more than $1.3 million to the organization.
“Since one in eight women in the U.S. will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime, it’s a disease that touches so many lives,” Schmulowitz said. “Komen Maryland is working to better the lives of those facing breast cancer in the local community and funding national research into the cures for breast cancer.”
The Race Village at the inlet parking lot opens at 7:30 a.m. for registration. Event sponsors will have booths set up, and coffee, doughnuts, water, granola bars, bananas and apples will be provided by Dunkin’ Donuts, Seacrets and Applebee’s.
In addition, Backshore Brewery, located on 10th Street and the Boardwalk, will offer participants 21 and older one complimentary beer ticket to redeem after the race inside the beer garden.
A Kids for the Cure tent will feature various outdoor activities including hula hoops and sidewalk chalk.
DJ Rupe and DJ Wax will be on hand to provide entertainment at the main and starting line stages, respectively.
Check out booths from Today’s 101.9 radio station, Seacrets, Casino at Ocean Downs, Applebee’s, Atlantic General Hospital, Peninsula Regional Medical Center, the OC Chamber of Commerce and Ayers Creek Adventures.
There will be a donation area in addition to a breast cancer survivor tent.
A pre-race warmup led by Cross Fit Ocean City kicks off festivities before the 5K begins at 9 a.m.
The race starts on the Boardwalk at the inlet and continues north to 15th Street, where participants will turn around and walk or run back.
There will be an awards ceremony for the top finishers at 10 a.m.
At 10:40 a.m., the survivor’s Parade of Pink parade begins at the Survivor’s Tent in the village. They will then gather for a group photo before a dance party breaks out with DJ Rupe at the main stage.
Last year, 1,867 people participated in the Ocean City race, which raised $124,000 from registration, donations and cash sponsorships, Schmulowitz said.
“This event is so much more than a 5K,” she said. “Komen is the world’s largest breast cancer organization, funding more breast cancer research than any other nonprofit while providing help to those facing the disease. In the fall of 2016, Komen set a bold goal to reduce the current number of breast cancer deaths by 50 percent in the U.S. by 2026.
“Komen plans to reach this goal by funding even more research into the deadliest forms of breast cancer and by addressing health care inequities,” she continued. “Access to care is especially an issue in rural populations like the Eastern Shore.”
As of Monday morning, 1,157 participants and 107 teams had signed up, with a goal to generate at least $175,000 this year.
“About half of the participants sign up in the last two weeks before the race,” Schmulowitz said.
Bobby Hammond, a 2006 graduate of Stephen Decatur High School and owner of Atlantic Physical Therapy, will participate in his sixth race on Saturday. He came in first place three times and took second twice.
“A lot of people have been affected by breast cancer and the prevalence on the Eastern Shore is high,” Hammond said. “Susan G. Komen urges people to go out and get check-ups and mammograms.”
Dozens of therapists, staff members and patients from eight Atlantic Physical Therapy offices on the Eastern Shore have signed up to participate in the race, he said.
“Come out and support the Susan G. Komen Foundation,” Hammond said. “The organization does a lot of good for people in our community.”
The Race for the Cure in Ocean City has evolved into a weekend-long event and even encompasses activities in Berlin this year.
Ropewalk on 82nd Street will have a pre-race celebration on Friday, from 5-8 p.m. with complimentary hot appetizers and happy hour drink specials.
After the race, a “Pink Party and Costume Contest” hosted by the Town of Berlin kicks off. Visitors will find pink discounts in shops in addition to food and drink specials at restaurants. Proceeds benefit Komen Maryland with pink beer from Burley Oak Brewing Company and Big Oyster Brewery. Check out live music at Fins Ale House and Raw Bar.
The costume contest will take place at 3 p.m. where participants are asked to dress in their best pink outfits. Prizes are sponsored by Beach and Beyond.
The adult winner will take home a pink Kitchenaide mixer, a pink-striped backpack and a free monogram from Victorian Charm.
The child with the best pink outfit will win a pink scooter and a Simply Southern pink backpack courtesy of Victorian Charm. A pink gorilla plush toy will be awarded to the best-dressed pet.
Seacrets on 49th Street will host a post-race celebration on Saturday, April 8, from 6-8 p.m. with complimentary appetizers, happy hour drink prices and deejay. A $5 donation to the Susan G. Komen Foundation is suggested.
Walk-up registration for the sixth annual Ocean City Race for the Cure is Friday at the Princess Royale Hotel on 91st Street from 12-7 p.m. The cost to register in advance is $35 for timed chip runners or $30 for the fun run. Children ages 11 and under can participate in the family 1-mile walk for $15.
Race day registration begins at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday at the Race Village in the inlet parking lot. The cost to sign up the day of the race is $40 for the fun run and $20 for children to participate. There is no registration the day of the race for the timed event.
Parking at the inlet will be limited to those with a handicap permit. Others can park for free at the Public Safety Building on 65th Street, at Northside Park on 125th Street or at the municipal lot at 100th Street and ride the Ocean City bus to the Race Village. The bus costs $3 for an all-day pass.
Besides Ocean City, Komen Maryland will host a Race for the Cure event in Baltimore this year, which will take place on Sunday, Oct. 15, at McHenry Row. In addition, 128 races are planned in the United States and 14 international Race for the Cure events will be going on in 2017 to help eradicate breast cancer.
“Susan G. Komen’s mission is to save lives by meeting the most critical needs in our communities and investing in breakthrough research to prevent and cure breast cancer,” Schmulowitz said. “Seventy-five percent of the net funds we raise from all events and donations go to local breast health programs.”
In 2017, Komen Maryland awarded thousands of dollars to Eastern Shore grant programs including the St. Agnes Hospital Foundation, the University of Maryland Medical System Foundation, Wicomico County Health Department, the Meritus Healthcare Foundation, the Northwest Hospital Center, Moveable Feast, Maintaining Active Citizens and Nueva Vida.
In addition, the remaining funds contributed to national research through Komen headquarters and address new early detection technologies, more effective treatments and the understanding of metastasis by treating and preventing recurrence, Schmulowitz said.
“Fundraising is an important component of the Race for the Cure,” she said. “We depend on so much more than the race registration fee to meet our goals in funding local breast health programs and national research.”
For more information, call 410-938-8990 or visit www.komenmd.org to donate.