Saturday, May 19
Start: 8:00 a.m.
Port City Community Church
250 Vision Drive, Wilmington
Para-athletic Categories Added
Promoting healthy, active lifestyles for all people is part of the mission of both the YMCA of Southeastern North Carolina and EmergeOrtho Wilmington, so adding new para-athletic competitive categories for our annual EmergeOrtho 5K run is a natural fit. We are excited to expand the race categories for these participants which reflect both organizations’ spirit of inclusion and accessibility, with more categories to be added as these divisions grow.
Borrowed from the Paralympic Games.
The para-athletic categories for this year’s race include:
- Athlete Riders—Wheelchair-assisted athletes are supported by the Angel Runners at Ainsley’s Angels, as well as by family and friends, who lend their legs so a participant can cross the finish line.
- Wheelchair Athletes (T51-54)—Track athletes with a range of impairments who compete seated in sport classes, which are assigned according to the muscle power that an athlete is likely to have.
- Athletes with Amputations or Dysmelia (T42-T47)—Athletes with impairment in the legs compete in T42-44; athletes with impairment in the arms compete in T45-46.
The popular race supports Girls on the Run and STRIDE running programs for girls and boys in third through eighth grade. This spring, the YMCA is providing 1,300 participants with these 10-week programs that focus on character development, fitness, self-respect and healthy living.
Partnering in this event for 11 years, the YMCA and EmergeOrtho welcome these additional sponsors for our 2018 EmergeOrtho 5K race: The Pediatric Center, Unlock ILM Real Estate, Academy Sports and Outdoors, and Smoothie King.
Walkers and runners of all ages and abilities are encouraged to participate, and strollers are welcome.
Registration is now available at RunSignUp.com using the keyword EmergeOrtho. Packet pickup is Friday, May 18, 3:30-6:00 p.m., from the EmergeOrtho location at 3787 Shipyard Boulevard in Wilmington.
For more information, visit nckidsrun.org or contact Lindsay Peiffer, Girls on The Run and STRIDE Program Coordinator for the YMCA, at 910.251-9622, extension 246.
