For Your Health 5K Kicks off Aug. 14 in Oswego

By Steve Yablonski

The Oswego Health Foundation will hold its sixth annual For Your Health 5K in August. It will be the third leg of the “Make It Happen 20K Series.”

The event kicks off with a one-mile kids’ fun run at 8 a.m. Then, the For Your Health 5K run/walk will start at 8:30 a.m.

The course will be held at Oswego Health’s scenic Seneca Hill campus on Route 45A in Scriba.

“Last year’s event raised more than $24,000,” said Michele Hourigan, director of business and community development for Oswego Health Foundation. “It was virtual last year, due to COVID. We had 134 participants, which was amazing considering the circumstances.”

Prizes for first, second and third place will be awarded in each group.

“We have had up to 215 participants in years past,” Hourigan said. “If you do just one run, it doesn’t count (for the overall ‘Make It Happen 20K Series’).”

Registration is now open, visit: www.raceroster.com to register. Also, the T-shirt and sponsorship deadline is July 23.

Excellus BlueCross BlueShield is the presenting sponsor and Exelon is the kids’ fun run sponsor this year.

“We are very thankful for the sponsors, participants and volunteers who made this possible. As a nonprofit healthcare system, we rely on events like these to support the healthcare needs and initiatives here in our very own community,” Hourigan said.

The For Your Health 5K is part of the Make It Happen 20K Series.

The fourth annual Make It Happen 20K Series started earlier this year. It combines the 5K races of the Oswego County Autism Task Force, Oswego Little League, Oswego Health Foundation and the Buc Boosters, into one 20K series.

The series includes both a runners and walkers prize categories at the conclusion of the four events.

The first part of the series, the Out Run Autism 5K, was held on May 1. It will be followed by the Oswego Little League 5K on June 20.

The Oswego Health Foundation’s For Your Health 5K is scheduled for August 14.

The Buc Booster Go BUCS 5K will wrap up the series on October 10.

For the 20K series, participants will compete in all four individual events, with an overall race series winner. The overall winners in both running and walking categories will be based on age group divisions and race time results from all four events combined.

For more information, contact the Oswego Health Foundation at 315-326-3788 or email: foundation@oswegohealth.org.