From left, Dr. Bill Estes, title sponsors Ralph Buckner Jr. and his wife Chari, and Vanessa Hammond, CF parent and Great Strides co-chair
The 17th annual 65 Roses 5K will take place during Great Strides 2019 to raise funds and awareness for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. The race will be held at Lee University on Saturday, March 30.
The 5K is a certified course that begins and ends at the Paul Conn Student Union on Lee’s campus and winds through the Cleveland Historic Districts and Main Street Cleveland. Dr. Bill Estes, dean of Lee University’s Helen DeVos College of Education, will serve as race director.
Differing from years past, the 65 Roses 5K and Great Strides Walk will begin at the same time. Registration opens at 7 a.m., while the race and walk will begin at 9. The cost of the race is $30 before March 28, and $35 on race day. This will be the first year where 5K runners and the walkers will be participating together.
“We are excited about the minor tweaks to the race this year,” said Dr. Estes. “We think the runners and community will benefit from the new start line and start time.”
Awards will be given to 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place male and female runners in 12 different age divisions. According to Dr. Estes, this year’s swag will include Brooks podium shirts, running socks, and a few surprises for the participants.
Ralph Buckner Funeral Home & Crematory will serve as the title sponsor for the 5K.
CF is a chronic disease affecting the lungs and digestive system of about 30,000 children and adults in the United States (70,000 worldwide). The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is a nonprofit donor-supported organization dedicated to attacking cystic fibrosis from every angle. Its focus is to support the development of new drugs to fight the disease, improve the quality of life for those with CF, and ultimately to find a cure. In the last 30 years, the life expectancy of a child with CF has doubled, and research is happening daily to find a cure and perfect the drugs available to those living with CF.
For more information or online registration, visit http://webpages.leeu.edu/cf/. Checks can be made payable to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.