Run Diabetes out of Sudbury

Diabetes has had a run of the town for too long in Sudbury, so it’s time to run diabetes out of town.

The SUDBURY ROCKS!!! Race, Run or Walk for Diabetes, Presented by Ionic Engineering is back for another Mother’s Day. This year’s event will be held downtown, Sunday, May 8, at Tom Davies Square.

This event will again feature a 1 kilometre children’s fun run, a 5K Celebrity Challenge, 5 and 10 K events, a half-marathon, a full marathon, and a marathon relay. Sudbury Rocks!!! is also an official qualifying event for the Boston Marathon.

“SUDBURY ROCKS !!! is the largest event of its kind in northeastern Ontario, attracting people from across the province, and it’s great that the event seems to be growing every year,” said Brent Walker, race director.

“This is not just a sporting event. It’s an opportunity for everyone to get active and promote healthy living, so let’s put on our shoes and run diabetes out of town.”

Organizers are again using the occasion to promote good health and education about what’s been called an epidemic of diabetes across Canada, particularly in northeastern Ontario.

“We estimate 10 million Canadians are either living with or at risk of developing diabetes. We also know the rates of diabetes in northeastern Ontario, including Sudbury, are among the highest in the province. So this event is so important to help us raise money and awareness for diabetes prevention, education and management, “said Chris Montgomery, Mission Funding Coordinator for the Canadian Diabetes Association in northeastern Ontario.

“People with diabetes are over three times more likely to be hospitalized with cardiovascular disease, 12 times more likely to be hospitalized with end-stage renal disease and over 20 times more likely to be hospitalized for a non-traumatic lower limb amputation compared to the general population, so we have to stop diabetes in its tracks.”

Since the first event in 2006, SUDBURY ROCKS!!! Race, Run, or Walk for Diabetes Presented by Ionic Engineering has attracted over 15000 participants and 2000 volunteers.

Approximately $500,000 has been raised for diabetes education and research in northeastern Ontario.

The money raised from the SUDBURY ROCKS!!! support such initiatives as diabetes education and management classes and public presentations, cooking and nutrition classes for people with diabetes, and sending local children living with diabetes to Children’s Diabetes camps.

For more information about SUDBURY ROCKS!!!, visit www.sudburyrocksmarathon.com

For more information about diabetes, visit www.diabetes.ca