The 15th annual Steeplechase Distance Run will be held Sunday, Sept. 24 at Amsterdam Elementary School in Hillsborough and as a virtual event to raise funds for the Steeplechase Cancer Center at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH) Somerset, an RWJBarnabas Health facility.
Coordinated by Somerset Health Care Foundation, the event offers two ways to participate. Runners and walkers can join in-person on Sept. 24 for 10K and 5K runs on a USA Track & Field (USATF) certified course as well as a 2-mile walk and kids’ sprints. The 10K and 5K races are both USATF New Jersey 500-point events.
Participants can also support the event virtually by running, walking, swimming or biking a 10K, 5K, or 2 miles between Sept. 15 and Sept. 24 on their own. No matter the event chosen, each participant will receive a T-shirt and goodie bag.
Proceeds from the event will benefit educational and support programs and a patient assistance fund at the Steeplechase Cancer Center. The patient assistance fund is used for cancer patients’ supportive needs, including financial assistance for wigs and prostheses offered at the cancer center’s Sanofi US Wellness Boutique; groceries; medications; house cleaning services and other living expenses.
“By supporting the Steeplechase Distance Run, you are impacting thousands of local patients and their families who rely on the Steeplechase Cancer Center for hope and healing,” said Patrick Delaney, chief administrative officer at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset. “We are so grateful for your participation – whether it’s funds raised through entry fees, individual and team fundraising or sponsorships – you enable us to help lessen the financial burden of cancer patients and their families when they are most in need.”
Together with Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, the state’s only NCI-Designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, the Steeplechase Cancer Center provides the latest cancer treatment options close to home. The three-story, 63,000-square-foot facility, which opened in 2007, houses radiation therapy services; a PET/CT; infusion therapy; breast imaging services; the hospital’s research team; oncologists’ and surgeons’ offices; nutritional counseling; a smoking cessation program; genetic testing services; patient navigator services; a patient resource library; the Sanofi US Wellness Boutique and complementary medicine services; such as yoga, meditation and wellness classes.
On race day, registration begins at 7:30 a.m. The 10K run starts at 8:45 a.m. followed by the 5K run and 2-Mile Walk at 9:30 a.m. Kids’ sprints are scheduled for 10:45 a.m. The event will be held rain or shine.
Registration for the Steeplechase Distance Run is $30 for adults before Sept. 20. After Sept. 20, registration is $33. Children age 15 and under may register for $15. Entry fee for the kids’ sprints is $10.
To register for the in-person or virtual event, go to www.SteeplechaseDistanceRun.com. The Amsterdam Elementary School is located at 301 Amsterdam Dr.
Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset is a nationally accredited, 333-bed hospital in Somerville providing comprehensive emergency, medical/surgical and rehabilitative services.
Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset also offers outpatient services at convenient locations in Central New Jersey, including physical therapy services in Bridgewater, Hillsborough, Princeton and Flemington and an urgent care center and a sleep disorders center in Hillsborough. In addition, the hospital’s affiliated physician practices provide care for families throughout its community.
