Sunday evening, May 31, saw Long Island runners battling Mother Nature yet again, as runners and walkers traveled through what at times was a driving rainstorm to complete the fourth annual Belmont Stakes “Blue Ribbon Run for Prostate Cancer®” 5 Kilometer Run at Belmont Park racetrack. Kicking off Belmont Stakes Festival Week, 403 runners and walkers took their mark to raise funds for prostate cancer awareness.
The rain didn’t seem to affect the performance of 44-year-old Oyster Bay superstar Daniel Valderrama, who scored as the fifth finisher overall and took top honors in the 40-44 age group, with a time of 18 minutes, 45 seconds.
Also winning an award was 30-year-old Kate Cifarelli of Oyster Bay, whose time of 26 minutes, 45 seconds earned her the third place award in the women’s 30-34 age group.
Integrated Medical Foundation, with assistance from the Greater Long Island Running Club, and in participation with sponsors such as the WET BRUSH, Advanced Urology Centers of NY and Advanced Radiation Centers of NY, Belmont Park, the New York Racing Authority and The Elmont Chamber of Commerce, helped make this event a major success for the Long Island running community and a crowning moment for prostate cancer awareness.
“We were thrilled that so many runners and walkers came out to support the event, notwithstanding the stormy weather conditions,” said Rhonda Samuel, executive director, Integrated Medical Foundation. “We are working hard to spread the message about the importance of early detection as 230,000 men will be newly diagnosed this year and more than 30,000 will die from the disease. This run is an opportunity to help men understand the importance of getting a prostate cancer screening.”
Integrated Medical Foundation is a 501c3 organization which promotes awareness and early detection of prostate cancer. Integrated Medical Foundation is committed to improving healthcare through education and outreach, offering free programs, free support services, and free prostate cancer screenings to the community. To help fundraise in the fight against prostate cancer or for more information about Integrated Medical Foundation, contact Samuel at 631-247-0100 or rsamuel@imfcares.org.
