Event Draws Record-Breaking 1,560 Participants
(Somerville, N.J.) – Avid runners, walkers, cancer survivors, physicians, community members, family and friends gathered for the sixth annual Steeplechase Distance Run/Walk on Sunday, September 28, 2014, raising more than $140,000 for the Steeplechase Cancer Center at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset. Nearly 1,600 people, ranging in ages 9 to 85, participated in this year’s event in honor or in memory of loved ones, or to celebrate their own recoveries. The event, organized by Somerset Health Care Foundation, featured a 10K run, 5K run, 2-mile walk, kid sprints, music, refreshments, face painting and more, over a scenic course in Hillsborough, New Jersey.“The Steeplechase Cancer Center at our Somerville campus consistently delivers quality care and provides access to clinical trials, expert physicians, and state-of-the-art medical equipment and laboratories to enhance the quality of life for cancer patients receiving our care,” said Paul Huegel, president of Somerset Health Care Foundation. “With the funds raised through the Steeplechase Distance Run/Walk, we will be able to continue providing patients and community members with the needed programs, support services and free educational events to help them live happier and healthier. We’d like to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who joined us to celebrate life, promote health and fitness and honor those who have been affected by cancer.”
The Steeplechase Distance Run/Walk began and ended at Amsterdam Elementary School in Hillsborough. All runs were USA Track and Field (USATF) certified. A tent with art supplies allowed participants to make “shirt signs” with tribute/memorial/survivorship messages. RWJ Somerset’s Sports Performance staff was available providing runners with free trainer-assisted stretching, and a private massage company was also onsite. New this year, the Steeplechase Cancer Center had a special tent dedicated for cancer survivors. Guests gathered at tables in the festive tent to enjoy food, refreshments, and the company of fellow survivors, friends and family. Also new this year was the Patient Ambassador Program which included four cancer patients who donated their time and energy to promote the event and raise awareness for cancer. The ambassadors kicked off the start of the walk.
An awards ceremony was held after the completion of the races, awarding top runners in each event and age group. Kenneth Goglas of Port Reading, N.J., proved his endurance yet again by taking the overall first place awards for both the 10K and 5K for the second consecutive year. He completed the 10K ahead of 355 runners in just over 34 minutes, and then came in first out of 575 runners in the 5K race with a time just under 17 minutes. Goglas was awarded two medals for his accomplishments, and medals were also awarded to the top finishers in each age category. Additionally, every participant was provided a t-shirt and goodie bag, as a token of the hospital’s appreciation for their support.
The more than $140,000 raised from the event will support RWJ Somerset’s many cancer-focused community health lectures, survivorship and rehabilitation programs, cooking demonstrations, nutrition classes, and complementary medicine, including yoga, reiki, and meditation classes. Total attendance for these programs is estimated to exceed 5,500 this year.
Event sponsors included Physicians for the Cure, Clayton and Associates, Emergency Medical Associates, Millenium, the Takeda Oncology Company, Financial Resources Federal Credit Union, Anesthesia Consultants of New Jersey, Jerry’s Executive Limo, Nimer and Bilal Mian, MD, Hillsborough Massage Therapy, Genentech and Lilly.
To learn more about Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, please visitwww.rwjuh.edu. For a referral to a physician affiliated with Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, please call 1-888-MD-RWJUH. Follow us on Twitter atwww.rwjuh.edu/twitter and Facebook at www.rwjuh.edu/facebook.
About Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and Robert Wood Johnson Health System
Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH) is the flagship hospital of Robert Wood Johnson Health System – New Jersey’s premier health system which boasts three acute care hospitals: RWJUH in New Brunswick and Somerville; RWJUH- Hamilton and RWJUH- Rahway and a national leader in pediatric rehabilitation: Children’s Specialized Hospital, as well as five fitness and wellness centers and numerous outpatient facilities. Through RWJ Health System, patients have access to exceptional women’s and children’s services and expert cancer, cardiac, emergency, neurology, stroke, trauma and pediatric rehabilitation care in addition to comprehensive health and wellness programs.
RWJUH is a 965-bed academic medical center with campuses in New Brunswick and Somerville, NJ. Its Centers of Excellence include cardiovascular care from minimally invasive heart surgery to transplantation, cancer care, stroke care, neuroscience, joint replacement, and women’s and children’s care including The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (www.bmsch.org). As the flagship Cancer Hospital of Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey and the principal teaching hospital of Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Brunswick, RWJUH is an innovative leader in advancing state-of-the-art care. A Level 1 Trauma Center and the only Pediatric Trauma Center in the state, RWJUH’s New Brunswick campus serves as a national resource in its ground-breaking approaches to emergency preparedness.
RWJUH has been ranked among the best hospitals in America by U.S. News & World Report seven times and has been selected by the publication as a high performing hospital in numerous specialties. The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital has been ranked among the best hospitals in America by U.S. News & World Report for three consecutive years.
Both the New Brunswick and Somerset campuses have earned significant national recognition for clinical quality and patient safety, including the prestigious Magnet® Award for Nursing Excellence, an “A” patient safety rating from the Leapfrog Group and “Most Wired” designation by Hospitals and Health Networks Magazine. The Joint Commission and the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services have designated the New Brunswick Campus as a Comprehensive Stroke Center and the Somerset Campus as a Primary Stroke Center.
The American College of Surgeons’ Commission on Cancer has rated RWJUH New Brunswick among the nation’s best comprehensive cancer centers and designated the Steeplechase Cancer Center at RWJ Somerset as a Comprehensive Community Cancer Center. The Joint Surgery Center at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset has earned the Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval for total knee and total hip replacement surgery.
For more Information visit us online at www.rwjuh.edu.
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