After being held virtually in 2020, the Chester County Women's Services (CCWS) annual 5K Run/Walk For Life will return in person this year on Saturday, Nov. 13, and it will be held at a new location - Hibernia County Park in Coatesville. Proceeds from the event will benefit CCWS, a nonprofit pregnancy care medical center.
The event will begin at 9 a.m., followed by awards and prizes for best times per age group for those running the 5K. Registrants are encouraged to obtain sponsors when they sign up and can earn CCWS swag when they reach various fundraising goals. Swag items include water bottles, hats, sweatshirts and AirPod Pros.
There will be separate registration fees for adults and for teens ages 13 to 17. There will be no registration fee for children age 12 and under.
In past years, the event was held at Kerr Park in Downingtown, and it took runners along the Struble Trail, which was damaged by Hurricane Ida. The new venue will provide a safe path for runners and walkers through Hibernia County Park, with plenty of parking available.
"(The course) makes a figure eight in the park. Where you start is where you end. We normally line up the runners and ask the walkers to go behind them," explained Michele Maloney, CCWS development director, noting that families with children in strollers are welcome. "Jogging strollers are recommended because there is a portion of the course that is not paved," she noted.
The fundraiser is designed to support CCWS' ongoing mission to provide medical, educational and material support to women and families facing unplanned pregnancies. All services are 100% free and offered in both English and Spanish. Families are supported physically, emotionally and financially through basic pregnancy care, parenting education, peer counseling, a homeless prevention program and community referrals. CCWS offices are located in Coatesville, Kennett Square and West Chester.
All funds raised during the event, including sign-up costs and donations, support the mission. "(We invite people to) help us to be able to provide the services to the families who come to us," said Maloney, noting that in 2019, the race had close to 300 participants. "We get everyone from newborns (with their parents) to folks in their 80s."
Hibernia County Park is located at 1 Park Road, Coatesville. For more information about the event and to register, visit http://www.runsignup.com/CCWS. Same-day registrations will also be accepted. Businesses and individuals wishing to sponsor the event are asked to contact Christen Wayman at christen@ccwsmedical.org.
More information about the CCWS is available by visiting http://www.ccwsmedicalinfo.org or by calling 610-383-0930.
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