By Rory Glynn
SmartHealthToday
Looking for a fun and healthy way to celebrate the season and make a difference? Lace up your sneakers and sign up for the Arthritis Foundation’s Jingle Bell Run.
The five kilometer walk/run, a fundraiser benefitting arthritis research, will be held Saturday, December 10, 2016 at 10 a.m. at the Northern Kentucky Convention Center.
But the Jingle Bell Run is no ordinary road race, says Guy Karrick, public relations manager for St. Elizabeth Healthcare who has participated as both a volunteer and a runner.
“This is a really special event and not a typical 5K run/walk,” he says. “People dress up in themed attire and costumes. You may find yourself running or walking next to an elf, a Christmas tree, the Grinch, or even the infamous lamp from A Christmas Story. Last year I saw a father dressed as Santa pushing a jog stroller decorated as a sled. Inside was a toddler decorated as a present and the whole thing was being guided by a dog wearing reindeer antlers! The Jingle Bell Run is just plain fun.”
Best of all, all that fun helps fight arthritis, the nation’s leading cause of disability. More than 52 million adults have physician-diagnosed arthritis, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and nearly 300,000 babies and children suffer from arthritis or a rheumatic condition. As the population ages, the problem is growing. By 2040, 78 million people – more than a quarter of the adult population –are expected to have physician-diagnosed arthritis.
So dig out your antlers, elf hat, or your ugliest holiday sweater, grab your friends and family, and come enjoy the pageantry. The Jingle Bell Run, which St. Elizabeth Healthcare has sponsored since 2010, is all about sharing a good time walking or running with friends and family, spreading holiday cheer and helping an important cause.
To register for the event, click here.