The Gentlemen Stakes is Rounding the Bend: What’s New for this Year’s 5K Event

The Urology Group is on track to present what we think will be our best annual prostate cancer run yet, in part because we’re also going off-track.

Our 12th annual 5K event to benefit ZERO – The End of Prostate Cancer, on Saturday, September 14, has added two new attractions and an alternate route for those who prefer to not start the course on the racetrack.

For those unfamiliar: Yes, The Gentlemen Stakes 5K kicks off on a real race track, specifically the horse track at Belterra Park in Cincinnati. This means many of the hundreds of runners and walkers we expect to participate will trot the same grounds as the thoroughbreds. Cool, right?!

However, participants have told us that the track can be tough on baby strollers and some walkers. We listened to your feedback and are now offering two course options: 

• You can begin the 5K on the horse track, as in past years, and you will be part of the timed 5K race; or
• begin on the pavement nearby and meet up with family and friends about ¼ mile in as they leave the track and pursue the rest of the course. (Note: This alternate course will not be timed.)

The other new features of this year’s race will include:

• A one-mile family fun run, the entirety of which will take place offthe horse racetrack. Build a team and make it a family affair! 
• A kids’ Fun Zone, featuring games, face-painting andvisits from superheroes to help the little ones burn off leftover energy. 

We also will bring back our Kids’ Superhero Trot, an annual favorite. The little ones who participate receive their very own cape.

All events are an opportunity to both celebrate and support our progress in reducing prostate cancer deaths. Nearly 175,000 men are expected to be diagnosed in 2019, but when caught early, prostate cancer now has a five-year survival rate of 99%.

We want to build on those numbers. This means signing up lots of runners, walkers and teams – ideally surpassing the number who participated last year. (Congratulations again to last year’s 5k race winners, Ben Turner and Melanie Pliskin, as well as prostate survivor winner, Rick Witte!) 

We hope you mark your calendar for race day – all day. The Kids’ Superhero Trot begins at 8:15 a.m. with the 5K following at 8:30 a.m., but we’ll have vendors set up beforehand as well as a pre-race Survivors’ Breakfast to support men who have survived or are in treatment for prostate cancer. After the 5K we’ll have food, raffle baskets, beer and music – and the opportunity to take in an actual horse race at Belterra Park.To learn more and register, visit our official The Gentlemen Stakes page here. We look forward to seeing you at the starting line!

Special thanks to all volunteers and our sponsors, including our premier sponsor, Abbvie, our presenting sponsor, Richard Wolf, our Winners’ Circle partner, Mercedes Benz of Fort Mitchell as well as the Mercy Health Foundation for sponsoring our Survivors’ Breakfast.