Bel Air, Md., March 27, 2015 — The 4th Annual Adam Thompson 5K Run/Walk will be held Sunday, April 26, at 8 a.m. at Harford Community College, 401 Thomas Run Road in Bel Air.
The race, on a USA Track and Field certified 5K course, honors the memory of Adam Thompson, a first-year Harford Community College student who was killed in an automobile accident in 2011. Proceeds from the race will benefit scholarships supporting students attending Harford Community College.
On-site race registration takes place in the Susquehanna Center Auxiliary Gymnasium beginning at 6:30 a.m., with the race starting at 8 a.m. Participants may run as individuals or organize themselves as part of a team.
Prizes will be awarded for the top three men and women finishers as well as for the first to cross the finish line in various age categories. The overall top male and female finishers will receive an Under Armour gift bag valued at $200 each.
T-shirts will be given to the first 400 registrants, and all participants will receive refreshments after the race.
Joining the festivities will be The Oriole Bird, Poe from the Ravens and Harford Community College’s Schreech the Fighting Owl. The Bayhawk cheerleaders will be on hand to cheer on the participants.
Various activities will take place before and after the race, including a kids’ play area with ping pong, corn hole, face painting, hula hoops and more.
Dr. John Alexander from Ultimate Health will demonstrate Active Release Technique to help aid recovery and improve physical performance. Freedom Federal Credit Union will be on site with its prize wheel and giveaways.
Members of the HCC Student Nursing Association will offer blood pressure screenings. The Aberdeen Police Department will bring their Community Police Vehicle, and the Bel Air Police Department will bring their Utility Police Truck.
The goals for this year’s race are to register 400 participants and to raise $30,000 for scholarships. Last year, 300 runners and walkers raised $25,000.
Proceeds from the race benefit The Adam Thompson Memorial Nursing Scholarship at Harford Community College and The Adam Thompson Memorial Education Scholarship at University of Maryland Upper Chesapeake Health. Both scholarships support students attending Harford Community College.
The race is hosted by The Thompson Family, Harford Community College Foundation and The Upper Chesapeake Health Foundation.
The cost is $25 per person for advance registration (by 5 p.m. on April 23) or $35 on the day of the race. Online registration is available in advance at www.harford.edu/adam. For more information, call 443-412-2449.
Advance packet pick-up will be available Friday, April 24, from 3 to 6 p.m. at University of Maryland Harford Memorial Hospital in Havre de Grace and on Saturday, April 25, from 9 to 11 a.m. at University of Maryland Upper Chesapeake Medical Center in Bel Air.
“The proceeds from the race go directly to help students with their college education,” said Dr. Pat Thompson, Adam’s mother, a nursing instructor at Harford Community College for the past eight years and also the recipient of the first Distinguished Alumni Award presented by the College in 2014.
“Scholarships are given to students accepted into the nursing program at Harford Community College and to team member’s children at University of Maryland Upper Chesapeake Health enrolled in a degree program at Harford Community College,” said Thompson, also a 30-year team member at UM Upper Chesapeake Health. “We have raised $60,000 over the first three years and hope to raise an additional $30,000 for scholarships with this year’s race.”
Adam Garrett, a recipient of an Adam Thompson scholarship, said, “The Adam Thompson Scholarship has helped me tremendously during my nursing school career. It has given me the ability to focus more on my studies rather than worry about my tuition expenses. I couldn’t be more thankful to have received it.”
Sponsors of the race include gold sponsors American Addiction Centers; Harford Primary Care and MediaWise, Inc.; silver sponsors, Artistry in Plastic Surgery, Dr. Brent Birely; CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield; Dr. William P. Cook, UC Orthopedic Specialty Group and Joint Center; Lorien Health Systems; Drs. Roger and Melissa Schneider and Upper Chesapeake Emergency Medicine Physicians, LLC; bronze sponsors, Clearwater Pool & Spa; Freedom Federal Credit Union; County Executive Barry Glassman and Lynch Primary Care; and friends, The Arena Club; Auston Contracting, Inc.; The Bergand Group – Professional Recovery Partners; Contemporary Business Interiors, LLC; Judith and Floyd Grimm; HCC Student Nursing Association; Herb’s on the Curb; Heron’s Creek Assisted Living; Bill and Cheney Hibschman; Innovative Insurance Solutions; Olivia’s Consignment Shop; Ruth and Bill Peterman; Right at Home; Saxon’s Diamond Centers Inc. and Way of Life Community Church.
For those unable to walk or run but who would like to participate, donations may be made to sponsor a participant running or walking in the race, or an outright donation may be made by visiting www.harford.edu/adam.
