For the 16th year in a row, over 1,200 athletes from all over the nation came together to support cancer patients and promote a healthy lifestyle at the Tour de La Porte’s Half Marathon Run, 10K Run, and 5K Run/Walk.
The Tour de La Porte is a staple part of La Porte County culture that emphasizes both the importance of helping others and improving the overall health of the community. As presented by the Healthcare Foundation of La Porte, the event is meant to get La Porte County closer to becoming one of the top ten healthiest counties in Indiana.
Over the years, the event has raised close to $700,000 in support of cancer patients. This year, they hoped to raise around $70,000. Not only is the event crucial in raising money for cancer patients, but it has an incredibly large impact on the community.
“This event is meant to go along with our mission, which is health and wellness. We invite the community to be active, so you could not ask for a better event. We have people here from nine or more different states, so we take great pride in the fact that we encourage so many people to not only take advantage of the weather, but take advantage of their ability to walk and run,” said President and CEO of the Healthcare Foundation of La Porte, Maria Fruth.
The foundation’s emphasis on the importance of athletes being grateful for the abilities that allow them to pursue their passions resonated with the runners. Each runner and walker engaged in the race in honor of those who were incapable of participating. Avid Runner Kaila Konecki was happy to both raise money for cancer patients and compete in their honor.
“It means a lot that I’m able to put a lot of training and effort in for something that [cancer patients] might not have the opportunity to do. I put in all of my effort to do this for them. I definitely think events like this one are important. They bring people together, they encourage people to be active, and they bring out a lot of volunteers,” said Konecki.
More from the 2017 Tour de La Porte:
Day 1 (Trail Run) | Day 3 (Bicycle Rides)
Over 120 volunteers helped make sure the Tour de La Porte went smoothly, and each one of them played a large role in executing such a great race. From registering runners to passing out medals to finishers, Tour de La Porte volunteers had the event covered. The HFLP Tour de La Porte Committee spearheaded several areas of the event, and the foundation is incredibly grateful for all of their help. They were also glad to have so many great sponsorships, with Al’s Supermarket and La Porte Hospital providing several services for the event.
“This event wouldn’t be possible without sponsors and volunteers,” said Kim Ramsey, HFLP’s Chairperson for the Tour de La Porte. “It takes an army to be able to pull this off, and we always look for new sponsorships each year. Al’s is a great partner of ours; they give us healthy food to give to the runners before and after the race.”
As families cheered their loved ones on and enjoyed the great weather, the Tour de La Porte proved yet again that living a healthy lifestyle promotes a positive community.
For more information about HFLP, please visit http://hflaporte.org/.