DETROIT – For the 10th year, women from all over Metro Detroit have been running to spread awareness of heart health.
Women Run the D takes place on Belle Isle in Detroit and allows runners to participate in a 5K, 10K or a half marathon.
This is a typical running event to some, but for people like Kristy Sidlar, getting her running shoes on means so much more.
“This race is very meaningful to me. After living with progressive heart disease for 22 years, last year’s Women Run the D was the first athletic event I did, just six months after my heart transplant,” Sidlar wrote in a press release. “I hadn’t completed a 5K in over 20 years, and running across that finish line was a very emotional experience. I am thrilled to return this year as a Heart Hero, raising awareness for women’s #1 killer. 80% of heart disease is preventable, and promoting healthy activities like this race can make a difference in women’s long-term wellness.”
For close to 10 years, The Detroit Women’s Half Marathon partnered with American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women campaign to honor heart heroes.
“Heart disease is the number-one killer of women in the United States, more deadly than all forms of cancer combined. Heart disease does not distinguish between young and old, between slender and overweight, between fit and out of shape. It claims the lives of one out of every three women, roughly one death each minute... something our DMC Epic Heart Heroes know only too well,” wrote race director for the Women Run the D, Eva Solomon.
Like my past 25 years, my run will be far from smooth, but I have learned some very valuable lessons and hope to continue to inspire people to take action and make changes for a more fulfilling life and a healthier one,” said Sidlar.