Take the Challenge and Make the Pledge: Colon Cancer Challenge 7th Annual Run /Walk and ‘Sign Up New York’ To Be Held in Central Park

NEW YORK, March 22 /PRNewswire/ —

    WHO:   Dr. Thomas Weber
           Founder and CEO, The Colon Cancer Challenge Foundation

           Dr. Mark Pochapin
            Director, The Jay Monahan Center for Gastrointestinal Health at
            NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center

           Colorectal cancer survivors and family members

    WHEN:  Sunday, March 28, 2010

           Remembrance and prevention walk  10:00am
           4-mile run    10:00am
           15K run  11:15am
           Course Information:  http://www.nyrr.org/races/2010/ccc/course.asp
           General or Registration Information:  www.ColonCancerChallenge.org

    WHERE: Central Park
           Wellness Festival on Central Road, right off 72nd Street Transverse

To raise awareness and funding in the fight against colon cancer, the Colon Cancer Challenge Foundation will sponsor the Seventh Annual Colon Cancer Challenge Remembrance and Prevention Run and Walk in Central Park, on Sunday, March 28, 2010. The event will be held in collaboration with New York Road Runners and The Jay Monahan Center for Gastrointestinal Health at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell. The Colon Cancer Challenge is the premier colorectal cancer awareness event in the United States, and will include the participation of thousands of survivors, families, friends, neighbors, and health professionals.

“Last year, the Colon Cancer Challenge event was completely sold out, featuring the participation of over 5,000 runners and walkers from the New York area and across the country. The goal of the event is to increase colon cancer awareness; raise funds for screening, prevention, and research efforts; and for the first time this year, to “Sign Up New York” for colon cancer screening,” said Dr. Thomas Weber, founder and president of the Colon Cancer Challenge Foundation. “Also for the first time, those who are unable to attend the event in person are still able to start or join a virtual Challenge team online at www.ColonCancerChallenge.org .”

The Challenge will include a Remembrance and Prevention walk, 4-mile run, and 15K run. This year’s Challenge will feature a special emphasis on the importance of colon cancer screening with the launch of Sign Up New York, a program designed to enlist the public to pledge to call their doctor to schedule their colon cancer screening appointment. Individuals can “Take the Challenge & Make the Pledge” at the Sign Up New York table at the event.

“Colorectal cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer death in the U.S. — but it doesn’t have to be. With screening and early detection, this is a highly curable and often preventable disease,” says Dr. Mark Pochapin, director of The Jay Monahan Center for Gastrointestinal Health at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center. Recommended screening allows for the detection of early colon cancer when it is highly curable, as well as the detection of potentially pre-cancerous polyps, which can be removed before they turn into cancer. Men and women should begin screening at age 50. Those with certain risk factors–such as a family history of colorectal polyps or cancer–may need to begin screening at a younger age.

The Colon Cancer Challenge is organized by the Colon Cancer Challenge Foundation in conjunction with New York Road Runners and The Jay Monahan Center for Gastrointestinal Health at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell. Supporters of the event include founding sponsors the Colon Cancer Alliance, Emblem Health, and Matt’s Promise, and sponsors Bramswig Photography, Olympus, Salix Pharmaceuticals Inc., SUNY Downstate Medical Center, and the Wound Ostomy & Continence Nurses Society. For more information or to register for the event, please visit www.ColonCancerChallenge.org .

SOURCE The Colon Cancer Challenge Foundation