Hundreds are expected to gather later this month at Chewacla State Park to exercise for a cause.
The 27th annual Love Your Heart Run and 9th annual Crank Your Heart Ride are planned for Feb. 25 to benefit the Exception Outreach Organization. The EOO is a non-profit organization that supports children and adults with various disabilities.
The money raised through these two events will be distributed to the Lee County Special Olympics, Best Buddies of Auburn University, and the City of Auburn Parks and Recreation Therapeutic Summer Camp.
The Love Your Heart Run will include a one mile “fun run” and a 10k race. The Crank Your Heart Ride includes choices between a 3.5, 11, or 22 mile bike route. All routes offer views of Chewacla State Park.
The Love Your Heart Run was created in 1989 to benefit heart patients at the East Alabama Medical Center. In 2008, the EOO added the Crank Your Heart Ride. This year, both races will be organized by the Auburn-Opelika Running and Track Association (AORTA), a local organization that promotes the fun of running and physical fitness.
According to Mike Brown, President of AORTA and member of the race direction team, AORTA is excited to help with the Love Your Heart Run and Crank Your Heart Ride this year. “We took the race over before knowing what it was all about, but the further I’ve dived into it and met families who have special needs members I’ve seen that the EOO does a lot for this community and provides services for people who could not otherwise afford them,” Brown said.
In past years, anywhere from $10-15,000 has been raised through the Love Your Heart Run and Crank Your Heart Ride.
For more information, to register, or to make a donation, please visit loveyourheartrun.com.
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Gabby Dance, senior in journalism with a minor in women's studies, is the assistant campus editor of The Auburn Plainsman.
