BATTLE CREEK — The “Chase” is on this summer at Binder Park Zoo.  Grab your running or walking shoes and head to Binder Park Zoo on June 22 for Binder Park Zoo’s seventh annual Cheetah Chase 5K Run/Walk sponsored by Meijer.
This one-of-a-kind event will feature the Gazelle Gallop 5K Run and 5K Sloth Walk.  To register for Cheetah Chase, go online at www.binderparkzoo.org/5k.
Early packet pickup will take place from 5 to 7 p.m. June 21 at the zoo office. Day-of registration and packet pickup for all events will run from  6:45. to 7:45 a.m. with the race starting at 8 a.m. The gates to the zoo will close promptly at 7:30 a.m. to prep for the race.  Additional parking will be available at Harper Creek School just down the road from the zoo and participants will be shuttled into the zoo and back to their vehicles after the race.
Both the run and the walk will be chip timed using Great Lakes ChampionChip.  Prizes will be awarded to the top finishers in each category.  All Gazelle Gallop and Sloth Walk participants will receive a T-shirt, free admission to Binder Park Zoo on race day and a reusable tote donated by Kellogg’s. Participants will also enjoy post-race refreshments sponsored in part by Panera Bread, and information from vendors from the health and wellness community.
The 5K course for the Gazelle Gallop and Sloth Walk has a variety of surfaces, including asphalt, brick, boardwalks, crushed rocks and grass.  There is a combination of up hills, down hills, tight turns and flat stretches throughout the course.  Highlights of the Cheetah Chase include panoramic views of the African savannah with herds of giraffe, zebra and antelope.
Participants in this year’s Cheetah Chase have an opportunity to earn a piece of framed cheetah art. Log on to Firstgiving.com/binderparkzoo to participate in this year’s pledge contest.  Firstgiving.com is a simple way for race participants to recruit supporters for this event.
Each race participant can set up a fundraising page where friends and family can make donations to support racing efforts that will go directly to Binder Park Zoo to help with the Zoos conservation initiatives.
Proceeds from the Cheetah Chase support Binder Park Zoo’s cheetah conservation efforts.  Cheetahs were once prevalent throughout much of Africa and Asia but are now facing great danger of becoming extinct.  Their population at one time flourished, but due to loss of habitat and poaching, there are very few left in the wild today.
Register online by 5 p.m. June 20 or submit a mail in entry form postmarked by June 17.  Registration costs $25 and day-of registration is $30. For more information, call (269) 979-1351.

Concert kicks off Race for the Cure

On June 14, a free concert at Beutter Park will help kick off the weekend’s Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure.
The concert, presented by Michiana Hematology Oncology’s Advanced Centers for Cancer Care, starts at 7 p.m. and features South Bend band The Whistle Pigs. The concert is free and open to all people.
Everyone who attends receives a free pink glow stick and is encouraged to participate in a Life Light Ceremony at dusk.  The collective light symbolizes the community’s support for the fight against cancer.
“It’s a celebration of life,” says Dr. Zon, medical oncologist at Michiana Hematology Oncology’s Advanced Centers for Cancer Care, who also serves as the host of the concert. “It’s also a way of coming together as a community in support of everyone fighting cancer.  For those who have or have had cancer, it’s a message that they’re never alone.”
It’s followed on Saturday by the annual Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure to raise money for breast cancer research.
The walk and run start at 9 a.m. at Potawatomi Park in South Bend and takes its participants through the East Wayne Street Historic District and the broader Sunnymede neighborhood.
In its fourth year in Michiana, the race brings together survivors, their families, and all people looking to raise funds and awareness for the fight against breast cancer.
Prospective participants can visit www.komennorthernindiana.org for more information and online registration.
You can also register in person the day of the race.

Michiana Hematology Oncology is a premier sponsor of the Northern Indiana Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure.  75% of the money raised by the organization goes toward funding grants to local hospitals and community organizations that provide breast health education, breast cancer screening, and treatment programs for medically underserved women.

Established in 1968, Michiana Hematology Oncology’s network of Advanced Centers for Cancer Care is the largest cancer care organization of its kind in northern Indiana.  The organization consists of eight medical oncologists, four radiation oncologists, two gynecologic oncologists and seven advanced practice nurses who provide integrated and comprehensive medical, radiation and gynecologic oncology services for patients throughout the region. For more information, visit www.TheHeartOfCancerCare.com.