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OCEAN CITY – The number of participants for the Inaugural Komen Maryland Ocean City Race for the Cure is continuing to rise throughout the week as Ocean City turns pink to support Susan G. Komen coming to town.
As of Monday, the number of participants registered for the Race for the Cure on Sunday, April 22, had increased to 2,717 from 2,201 last Wednesday. The number is expected to grow as the week progresses.
“Our goal, because this was the first year, was 3,000 people … so we think we might be a little bit over 3,000, and we are hoping the weather will be great that day because that always does have an impact on race day registration. We are keeping our fingers crossed in the week leading up,” Communications and Development Coordinator Brittany Fowler said.
Out of the registrants, as of Monday, 84 percent are from Maryland, and the other 16 percent range over 20 other states with Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Virginia as the top states represented, as well as 32 percent of registrants are local or live on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, and 68 percent live west of the Chesapeake Bay or out of state.
“It is a really fun thing for people to do. If you have a family that has been affected by this and they all want to get together and show their support one way or another, this is a really great avenue for them to do so,” Fowler said.
There are 251 teams registered and 55 teams of 10 or more. Larger teams of 25 or more and raise $2,500 or more will have access to a tailgate area.
“So if they want to have breakfast before and have everybody meet there and walk over to the village, they can do that,” Fowler said. “It is just another little fun incentive that they can get.”
Fowler added that it has been great working with Ocean City leading up to the big event.
“We are just really trying to make sure that we got things covered from every angle so this is a really good event and that people come and have a good time and just want to come back year after year,” she said. “They [Ocean City] have been helpful from all aspects, from the planning to helping to reach out to local businesses to get them involved and in some of the different programs that we have.”
Fowler explained that there are two inaugural programs designed to encourage business participation and drive foot traffic the days leading up to the Inaugural Komen Maryland Ocean City Race for the Cure.
The first is a “Paint the Town Pink” competition where local businesses are invited to participate in the competition by decorating their business in support of the race. The competition will run from Friday, April 13 until the night before the race, Saturday, April 21. A panel of judges will be out during the day and some at night to judge the competition.
“We are encouraging all businesses, restaurants, hotels, retail stores, to go pink somehow,” Fowler said. “Whether it be decorating their store front or decorating their whole building.”
The winning business will receive a special marketing opportunity from Komen Maryland’s longtime local media sponsor, SeaBoard Media, LLC. The prize includes advertising on Memorial Day weekend with one 10-second ad to be displayed every five minutes on four passes of the beach per day Friday, May 25 through Monday, May 28. This is a total of 16 beach passes, each valued at $80 for a total value of $1,280. Those interested in participating should submit their business information to Lydia Wooten via email at lwooten@komenmd.org.
The second inaugural program involves local restaurants participating in Dine Out for the Cure, and each restaurant has pledged 20 percent of their sales of either lunch, dinner or both for the week leading up to the race. Participating restaurants are BJ’s On The Water, Conner’s Beach Café, Captain’s Table Restaurant, Fresco’s, Phillips Crab House, Phillips Seafood and Sobo’s Wine Beerstro.
“We are really excited because it gives us the opportunity to let people know that our services are across the state,” Fowler concluded. “One of the reasons we picked Ocean City is because we really wanted this to be a destination race and another way for people to get involved. Ocean City is Maryland, its where Marylanders go to vacation, it is a great location for us because it is a lot of fun and we know people are going to come out for that fun aspect but it is also a great way for us to highlight the Eastern Shore and what is being done out there for woman and the families who are affected by breast cancer.”
Race registration will remain open online until 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 21 and will be open on-site, in the Race Village, on the day of the event, Sunday, April 22.
Walk-up registration will take place at the Roland E. Powell Convention Center, located at 4001 Coastal Highway, on Thursday, April 19, 2012 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Friday, April 20, 2012 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday, April 21 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Registration will open at 6 a.m. in the Race Village on race day.
What Is Komen?
Nancy G. Brinker promised her dying sister, Susan G. Komen, she would do everything in her power to end breast cancer forever, and in 1982, that promise became Susan G. Komen for the Cure.
The Maryland Affiliate is part of the world’s largest and most progressive grassroots network fighting breast cancer. Through events like the Komen Maryland Race for the Cure, the Maryland Affiliate has invested $35 million in community breast cancer programs since 1993. Up to 75 percent of net proceeds generated by the Affiliate stays in Maryland. The remaining 25 percent funds national breast cancer research, often taking place at Maryland institutions.
Komen Maryland is the 10th of approximately 120 affiliates in the Komen network to host two races —Hunt Valley and Ocean City. For more information, visit www.komenmd.org.
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