GLENDALE — Organizers are expecting about 500 runners and walkers Sunday morning on Brand Boulevard during the city’s first annual Downtown Dash.
The event — a 5-kilometer, or 3.1-mile run/walk on the streets of downtown Glendale — is held to raise money for the stroke center at Glendale Adventist Medical Center.
“We want to have an intensive community education regarding stroke and stroke awareness,” said Cynthia Cabatan, director of the neuroscience institute at Glendale Adventist.
And the run/walk is one way to develop that awareness, as its route winds through Brand Boulevard, Colorado Street and Orange Street.
Glendale Adventist representatives will be on hand for the event, providing information on stroke awareness.
In the meantime, community members are preparing themselves for the festivities on Sunday.
All About You! Wellness Bootcamp, an event co-sponsor, trained 60 runners and walkers in anticipation of Sunday.
“It’s a really good turnout,” she said. “We trained them for eight weeks. I heard from them that it really made a big difference for them, whether they will be walking or running the race.“Our phone hasn’t stopped ringing since this morning with last-minute registration and sponsorship,” Cabatan said. Stroke is the leading cause of disability in America and the third-leading cause of death, she said. In the San Fernando Valley, stroke is the second leading cause of death, she added. There are two Food and Drug Administration-approved treatments for strokes, both which greatly improve a patient’s chance for survival and lessen the extent of potential resulting disabilities, she said.
“If they would come to the emergency room with any of five major warnings they experience, we will be able to prevent death or disability,” she said.
Stroke symptoms include numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body; difficulty speaking or understanding speech; trouble seeing in one or both eyes; trouble walking or dizziness; or a severe headache with no known cause.
Anyone interested in participating in the event can register on Sunday at 7 a.m.
Opening ceremonies begin at 8 a.m. and race time is 8:40 a.m.
For information about the event, you may call (818) 409-8100 or visit www.downtown glendale.com/event_08_ 0309.html.
