SOMERSET MEDICAL CENTER TO HOST FOURTH ANNUAL STEEPLECHASE DISTANCE RUN

Individuals encouraged to participate in honor or in memory of loved ones with cancer

 Somerville, N.J. (September 25, 2012) – Somerset Medical Center will host its fourth annual Steeplechase Distance Run on Sunday, September 30, 2012, over a scenic course in Hillsborough and Montgomery Townships in New Jersey.  This year’s event will include a 25K Run, 5K Run/Walk, Kid Sprints, music, refreshments and more.

 “The Steeplechase Distance Run was launched three years ago to help raise awareness of and enhance the cancer care services that The Steeplechase Cancer Center provides in our community,” said Somerset Medical Center surgeon, Dr. Cynthia Lee, an avid runner who founded the event.  “We encourage runners and the general public alike to come out together to honor their family and friends who have been affected by cancer, and to help us raise awareness of the many people in our community who are still courageously fighting or who have tragically lost their battle to this terrible disease.” 

 The Steeplechase Distance Run begins and ends at Amsterdam Elementary School in Hillsborough. The 25K, a popular fall marathon prep, includes a flat and rolling course running through the scenic neighborhoods and landscapes of Hillsborough and Montgomery Townships.  The run features mile clocks and energy stations and is considered a challenging test of speed and endurance.  Individuals participating in the 5K Run/Walk will have the option of running or walking a 3.1 mile course.  Children ages two to eleven are encouraged to participate in Kid Sprints, a 25-100 yard walk designed for children.  Each child will receive a ribbon for completing the walk.  All runs are USA Track and Field (USATF) certified.

 Among the run’s participants will be breast cancer survivor Christine Antico, of Branchburg, N.J., who will be running the 5K for the second year in a row.  “I was always active, but after going through treatment and coping with the accompanying physical limitations, I stopped working out,” explained Antico.  “I started back with my workouts right after my surgeries and reconstruction, and now, I run about two miles almost every day.  When I run the Steeplechase 5K, I think about all the people still in treatment and all those days I wished I could run but felt too sick from treatment to do so.  Now I can, and I love the way it feels to finish with the rest of the runners!”

 Team Grandpop will also be among the participants this year, walking the 5K in honor of Dave Hudak of Neshanic Station, N.J., a patient at The Steeplechase Cancer Center at Somerset Medical Center.  Hudak’s family members, including his children and grandchildren, will walk for the second year in a row to honor Hudak and raise awareness of multiple myeloma and the services offered at the Steeplechase Cancer Center.

 Check-in and registration for the Steeplechase Distance Run will begin at 7:00 a.m.  The 25K race – one of the only races of its distance in the state of New Jersey -- begins at 8:30 a.m. followed by the 5K race at 9:00 a.m. and the Kid Sprints at 10:15 a.m. An awards ceremony for the 5K race will begin at 10:30 a.m., followed by an awards ceremony for the 25K race at 11:00 a.m.  Somerset Medical Center staff will be available to answer any questions regarding cancer detection and prevention, or about The Steeplechase Cancer Center.  The event will be held rain or shine.

 Early registration for individuals is $48 for the 25K Run, $22 for the 5K Run/Walk and $8 for the Kid Sprints, and ends on September 22.  After September 24, registration fees are $55 for the 25K Run, $25 for the 5K Run/Walk and $8 for the Kid Sprints.  Each 5K runner/walker and each sprint participant will receive a short sleeve T-shirt.  Runners participating in the 25K Run will receive a long sleeve T-shirt. 

 All proceeds from the event will benefit educational programs for patients and the community at The Steeplechase Cancer Center at Somerset Medical Center. The Steeplechase Cancer Center enables Central New Jersey cancer patients to see their doctors, undergo outpatient treatment and participate in promising cancer research studies – all in one place close to home. The three-story, 63,000-square-foot facility, which opened in 2007, houses radiation therapy services, infusion therapy, breast imaging services, the medical center’s research team, oncologists’ and surgeons’ offices, nutritional counseling, patient navigator services, a patient resource library, the Sanofi US Wellness Boutique and complementary medicine services, such as yoga, t’ai chi, meditation and massage. The Sanofi US Breast Care Program is one of only a select few in New Jersey to achieve full accreditation by the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers and has also been named a Breast Imaging Center of Excellence by the American College of Radiology.

 To register for the Steeplechase Distance Run, visit http://www.somersetmedicalcenter.com/run.  For more information, call 908-685-2885 or email dcastronovo@somerset-healthcare.com.

 About Somerset Medical Center

Somerset Medical Center is a nationally accredited, regional medical center providing comprehensive emergency, medical/surgical and rehabilitative services and a broad range of community programs to Central New Jersey residents.  It is nationally recognized as a Magnet® hospital for nursing excellence. The medical center is an affiliate of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and a clinical research affiliate of The Cancer Institute of New Jersey.  For more information please visit www.somersetmedicalcenter.com.