Secret City Half Marathon & 5K helps raise awareness of kidney, organ donation

 

The Secret City Half Marathon & 5K in Oak Ridge today (Saturday, November 18) is helping to raise awareness of kidney donation and organ donation in general, a press release said.

Now in its ninth year, the marathon has grown into one of the largest athletic events in the region, the press release said. An estimated 1,000 participants will run and/or walk their way to the finish line.

Great things are happening at this year’s event, the press release said.

“We are excited to have been mentioned on the Harry Connick Jr. show as Knoxville residents Steve and Heather Winfree’s chosen event to help raise awareness for kidney donation and organ donations in general,” said Lisa Kendall, race director for the half marathon and 5K races and vice president of Explore Oak Ridge. “Steve’s wife, Heather, was a kidney match for Steve and the touching video of her sharing the news with him went viral with media attention worldwide.”

Steve and Heather Winfree will be walking in the 5K, and they have encouraged others to register and come out and walk with them in support of organ donation, the press release said. Donations to the East TN Kidney Foundation and United Way are accepted on the registration website as well without participating in the race.

“We have been so blessed to have been given this platform to help raise awareness,” Steve Winfree said.

The half marathon was scheduled to start at Melton Lake Peninsula at 9 a.m.

Race sponsor CNS Y-12 provided the top eight awards for the half marathon race, the press release said. These stainless steel awards have been created using 3D printing technology and are one-of-a-kind. These unique awards cannot be created by any other manufacturing process.

The Secret City Half Marathon & 5K had many sponsors returning this year including Rogers Group, CNS Y-12, TN Members 1st Federal Credit Union, ORAU, and Mortgage Investors Group. New this year were sponsors TNBank and Results Physiotherapy.

Visit www.SecretCityHalfMarathon.com to learn more or call (865) 685-5821.

You can read a September press release here about Steve and Heather Winfree’s story of Steve’s battle with kidney disease, Heather’s ability to donate a kidney to save him, and their efforts to promote organ donation awareness through teaming up with East TN Kidney Foundation and the Secret City Half Marathon & 5K. Winfree is an Explore Oak Ridge employee.

 

More information will be added as it becomes available.

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