By Matt Machado
Herald Intern
The AdventHealth Corporate 5K was recently held at Lake Eola Park.
Gathering more than 500 local companies, the run aims to raise money for charity and encourage workers to exercise. “Wellness is important no matter what line of work you’re in,” said Lynn Hoppes, recreation programs and event supervisor for Casselberry. “We, as a city, have taken it
on ourselves to try to make our staff healthy.”
Proceeds from donations and entry fees benefited Second Harvest Food Bank and the Track Shack Youth Foundation. Second Harvest is a nonprofit organization that collects, stores and distributes food to communities in need across seven Central Florida counties.
This year’s race was expected to help provide about 150,000 meals. Since 1994, the Track Shack Youth Foundation has raised more than $3.5 million for youth health and sports programs, according to Natalie Casey, the foundation’s vice president of communications.
The 3.1-mile course welcomed experienced athletes and newcomers, with space for runners and walkers.
“It was not an intimidating event,” Casey said. “About 60% of participants walk.”
Each corporation had a team, a format Casey said helps boost morale and camaraderie in the workplace after the race.
“The purpose of doing it on a Thursday night is so that the next morning, there is a lot of water cooler chatter,” she said. “People talk about who ran the fastest, what a good time they had, or how competitive they were with any other industry categories.”
In addition to the run, the AdventHealth Corporate 5K hosted a T-shirt contest. Companies created their own T-shirt designs and employees wore them on race day.
The entries were posted on Facebook for public voting and the team with the most liked design received a framed picture of the shirt.
The event organizers partnered with SunRail, offering racers a free ride to and from the event using their bib number. Hoppes said the 5K was an exciting opportunity for workers, “Employees worked half a day, headed downtown, hung out, ran, or walked, and at the end, had a chance to meet a corporation,” he said. “It’s almost like a party atmosphere. It’s a very positive experience.”
