SOS - Sweating Over Suicide

This year the North Coventry Township Police Officer's Association is hosting its first 5K!  We will be holding this event for suicide prevention and awareness.  Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the US.  Further statistics show that suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death in in adolescents.  Suicide shows no boundaries and effects everyone equally across all ages, genders, race etc.  In the United States, approximately 1 person dies by suicide every 11 minutes and there are approximately 25 attempted suicides per completed suicide.  Worldwide, a life is lost from suicide every 40 seconds.  Our law enforcement officers are at risk of suicide twice that of other members of our community and every day we lose 22 veterans to suicide.  Together we believe we can make an impact in reducing the stigma related to suicide and help those who suffer in silence.  

In a way to symbolize our hopes in helping to “lift” people up in their time of need, we have set up a secondary part to this race which is TOTALLY OPTIONAL. With the help of Fitness 1440 located at 58 Glocker Way, Pottstown, we are giving everyone who registers an opportunity to shave time off of their total 5K time by lifting some weights.  Each person will be given 40 seconds to complete as many bench presses as possible.  The racer will reduce their total 5K race time by 22 seconds for each bench press completed.  Men will bench 100% of their body weight and Females, 50% of their body weight.  To complete the bench press portion you must first register and then go to Fitness 1440 between 10/4-10/8 between the hours of 9:30 am and 7:00pm.  Advise them that you are there to complete the bench press and someone will provide you with a form and assist you with completing the bench press and documenting your results.  On race day you will need to pick up your bib with the provided form so your time can be deducted from your completed run time.  

COURSE: This is a ‘lollipop’ course on the slightly rolling, scenic roads of North Coventry Twp.

ENTRY:  $25 pre-registration fee through September 29, 2021 at noon, $30.00 after and day of.  Pre-registration entry includes a cotton T-shirt and NCPD swag.

REGISTRATION:  Bib pick up and day of registration opens at 7:45 am and closes at 8:45!  There will be one separate table for both the kids fun run held by OJR MHAC and AIDE(up to age 10) & the mile walk/roll which too closes at 8:45.  The mile walk/roll will start right after the 5K race begins and the kids fun run held by the OJR MHAC will be from 10-1030!

AWARDS:  Awards will be given to the 1st and 2nd overall male and female. Awards per age group will be awarded to the 1st and 2nd male/female in each age group: up to 14, 15-19, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, 70+.  There will also be an award given to the Male and Female who complete the most bench presses.

COVID PRECAUTIONS:  We will be sure to keep you informed of any changes implemented by the CDC as we are monitoring both state and local health guidelines.

After the race NCPD and OJR MHAC/AIDEwill be holding a small community day/A Day of Hope event with live music, food and supporters from our community geared toward mental health awareness and suicide prevention.  We hope you stick around to enjoy the fun!

Donations will be accepted if you would like to donate additionally to our cause.  If you want to make a donation in the memory of someone you are running for, we will provide a pin with the name of the individual you are running for which can be attached to you shirt and stay with you throughout the race.  We will also have a sign for all who would like add a name in memory of prior to the start of the race.  We look forward to seeing you all there and help with this noble cause.  All racers must be checked in no later then 845 on 10/09/2021.