LONG BRANCH — The second annual Jersey Shore Undy 5,000 5K run will be held on Saturday, July 23, beginning at 8 a.m. at Pier Village, 1 Chelsea Ave.
The aim of the 5K and one-mile family fun run/walk is to help bring greater awareness to colon cancer, the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the U.S.
The Colon CancerAlliance (CCA), a national patient advocacy organization, will host the event.
More than 400 runners and walkers, including colon cancer patients and survivors, participated in the Jersey Shore Undy 5,000 in 2010. Proceeds from the event will benefit Riverview/Meridian Health Foundation.
The Undy 5,000 is held in different cities across the country throughout the year. The goal of the event is to educate the public about colon cancer and promote screenings for this deadly but preventable disease. This event also raises funds to support and build the CCA’s national and local patient support and public awareness programs.
In addition, a portion of the funds raised will go to the Riverview Medical Center Foundation to support the hospital’s health care programs and services.
According to the press release, every 10 minutes a life is lost to colon cancer. The American Cancer Society estimates that nearly 147,000 new cases were diagnosed in 2009.
Participants in the event are provided with race-day boxers (as opposed to race day T-shirts), and are encouraged to run in their undies/boxers during this fun, familyfriendly 5K run/walk. More information is available online at www.undy5000.org.