Road races to kick off Relays

By Sherry Pigg     Apr 8, 1996

Organizers of the Columbia Mount Oread Medical Arts Centre Run are hoping Saturday will be a beautiful day.

It’s time to lace-up your running shoes and hit the road to help provide health care for Douglas County residents in need.

The second annual Columbia Mount Oread run will be held Saturday. Organizers hope that this year’s event, which will feature a 10K run, a two-mile race, a two-mile fitness walk and a wheelchair race, will attract 1,000 participants from throughout the region.

All proceeds from the events will go to Health Care Access Inc., a nonprofit, community-based health care service for Douglas County residents who have limited income and no health insurance.

Nancy Hiebert, community affairs and marketing coordinator at Columbia Mount Oread Medical Arts Centre, said last year’s event attracted about 660 participants and raised about $6,000 for the ALS Assn. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig’s disease, is an incurable disease of the nervous system.

“We had a beautiful day,” Hiebert said. “About one-third of those people signed up on the day of the race.”

Judy Eyerly, executive director of Health Care Access, said that last year, 1,600 people sought services from Health Care Access through 4,500 appointments.

“It’s going to be a tremendous benefit,” Eyerly said of the donation. “It’s going to go primarily for pharmacy. We’ve raised our budget this year to an all-time high. This is certainly going to help with that.”

Health Care Access pays pharmacy expenses for all its clients, Eyerly said. The pharmacy’s budget for 1996 is about $36,000.

Both races will be certified by the USA Track and Field Assn. That certification means that any records that are set will become official state records. Two state records were set during the 1995 event.

The run is sanctioned and conducted by the Lawrence Track Club with assistance from the Mid-America Running Assn. It is also the official opening event for the 1996 Columbia Healthcare Kansas Relays.

“Logistically, it’s a very challenging race for us to put together,” Hiebert said. “But, it’s going to be a very beautiful race. Both the 10K and the two-mile race are going to start on the West Campus. They are going to be very interesting for the runners.”

The fitness walk will begin on the Mount Oread campus.

Entry fees for any of the events is $12 if paid before Wednesday. After Wednesday, entry fees are $15.

All entrants will receive a commemorative T-shirt and an admission button good for all four days of the 1996 Kansas Relays.

Cash awards and other prizes will be awarded to the top finishers in the 10K and two-mile races.

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