Registration for the fifth annual Get Your Rear in Gear - Green Bay run/walk is open. The event will take place on Saturday, August 3, at Aurora BayCare Medical Center in Green Bay.
The 5K run, 1.5-mile walk and Kids’ Fun Run are powered by the Colon Cancer Coalition, a Minneapolis-based non-profit organization. The event seeks to raise national awareness about colon cancer screening and early detection.
The walking course will curve around the hospital campus at 2845 Greenbrier Road on Green Bay’s far east side, with the running course going through nearby neighborhoods. Aurora BayCare Medical Center is the presenting sponsor.
The event also features opportunities to celebrate survivors and support those family members and caregivers left behind following a loved one’s fight with colon cancer.
“Staging this run/walk is an engaging way to raise awareness of a very serious health issue,” event director Hannah Van Hoof says. “For many, this event would simply be another local, fun-filled 5K, but we are hoping to add another layer to that – education.”
Dr. Erik Johnson, an Aurora BayCare colorectal surgeon, echoed those thoughts.
“The attention we hope this event draws will provide us an opportunity to educate the public about colon cancer and the importance of age-appropriate screenings and early detection,” Johnson said. “Colon cancer can be successfully treated when it is caught early. Diagnosing it at later stages often means a patient faces a more challenging fight.”
Just over 70 percent of eligible Wisconsin residents are screened for colorectal cancer. That’s a concern, Johnson said.
“It’s a decent start, but considering 1 in 23 Americans will be diagnosed with colon cancer during their lifetime, we need to do a better job of increasing awareness of the importance of preventive screenings and early detection,” he said. “That’s why this event is vital to the Green Bay area.”
According to the American Cancer Society, “colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer diagnosed in both men and women in the United States.” The organization’s estimates for the number of colorectal cancer cases in the United States for 2019 are:
101,420 new cases of colon cancer
44,180 new cases of rectal cancer
Visit Get Your Rear in Gear-Green Bay to register for the Saturday, August 3, event.