Heart to Heart, Healthy Heart and No Heart Left Behind are national 5k runs that raise money for cardiac health, but Moscow’s own 5k will feature an array of participants in red shirts, dresses, nighties and even ball gowns.
Registration for the 6th annual Red Dress Run begins at 8 a.m. Feb. 25 in the Palouse Mall. The walk, or run, takes off at 9 a.m. and heads north toward Sheep Road.
“(The run is) an idea throughout the country and it’s just kind of a fun twist
on the event,” said Jodi Walker of Gritman Medical Center. “It brings some humor to some otherwise serious medical conditions.”
Kristi Holden, Gritman exercise specialist, said risks for heart disease include family history, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking, diabetes and sedentary behaviors. She said healthy diet and exercise is one of the best ways to prevent heart disease, especially for those who are sedentary or overweight.
“(Regular) exercise lowers your blood pressure overtime,” Holden said. “It can improve your good cholesterol. It improves circulation, helps control weight and makes you feel better about yourself.”
Holden said some of her cardiac rehabilitation patients participated in the event alongside University of Idaho Navy and Army ROTC members.
“We always get a bunch of the ROTC guys out there and they’ll show up in the wackiest things,” Walker said. “(Some wore) red nighties and we had one guy one year who wore nothing but a micro mini — no shirt, no anything, and it was 20 degrees out.”
Washington State University student Garrett Brim is a Naval ROTC action officer for WSU and UI and said he helped notify members of the event, but most members attend independently.
“(The ROTC) primarily focuses on getting our image out to the community,” he said. “Cardiac health is very important to ourselves and our job.”
Brim said ROTC attire for the event ranges from very revealing to mostly conservative.
“Different branches compete with each other to see who can get more people come out,” Walker said. “Some come in full camouflage make up.”
Odette Engan, Martin Wellness Center coordinator, said other UI participants have included Alpha Phis, who are stationed to cheer on participants throughout the run.
She said some participants choose to stay inside the mall, if they do not want to go outdoors.
Participation is by donation only and money will be split to support participants in the Gritman Cardiac Rehab facility and the Martin Wellness Center.
Walker said the cardiac rehabilitation facility is for anyone who has had or is at risk of having heart disease and allows them to work with nurses and exercise staff.
“A lot of them haven’t exercised in years,” Walker said.
She said people can come into the facility on their own dime and participate in exercise programs and those with medical needs are generally covered by insurance.
“This is the first time that the Martin Wellness Center is trying a scholarship program for people who can’t afford to use the facility,” Engan said.
While she said they are working out the details, she knows that anyone can apply to the center based on income.
Prizes will be awarded for the best dressed, best accessories and best-dressed child. Potential participants can find registration forms online to bring on the morning of the event.
“The first time we maybe had 50 people or so and now well over 150 people are showing up out there,” Holden said. “More people are wearing dresses than the first year too.”