Runners, walkers will put their feet down at AIDS Run & Walk Chicago on Saturday, Sept. 26

Thousands expected to gather at annual day of remembrance, fundraising and awareness

WHAT:                Chicago-area residents will gather to change the HIV epidemic at the 14th annual AIDS Run & Walk Chicago on Saturday, Sept. 26. The event will start and finish at Soldier Field in Chicago, and courses for the 5k walk and the 5k/10k runs will stretch along Lake Michigan.

WGN-TV’s Dean Richards will be the master of ceremonies for the morning’s festivities, which will include brief speeches by AFC President/CEO John Peller and two longtime HIV advocates, Evany Turk and Patricia Johnson.

The opening ceremony will also include a performance from the Broadway musical RENT by Artists Giving Back, which is producing a production of “RENT” to benefit AFC on Dec. 1. Afterward, participants will warm up before their run or walk with Fitness Formula Club trainer Joy Miles.

Panels from the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt will also be on display, and free HIV testing will be available on site.

Funds raised through AIDS Run & Walk Chicago will benefit programs and services for the AIDS Foundation of Chicago and 35 other metropolitan organizations that provide life-saving services to people living with HIV and AIDS. Since it was established in 2001, AIDS Run & Walk Chicago has netted nearly $5 million to battle the epidemic.

For more information, visit aidsrunwalk.org or call 312-334-0946.

WHO:   Media are invited to attend the event and speak with the AIDS Foundation of Chicago’s President/CEO, John Peller, as well as additional AIDS Foundation of Chicago representatives, event volunteers and race participants.

WHEN:                                Saturday, Sept. 26*

7:15        Registration and packet pickup open

8:00       Opening Ceremony begins

8:25       Warm-up stretch led by Joy Miles of Fitness Formula Clubs

8:45       10k run start

8:50       5k run start

9:05       Walk start

9:30       The NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt display opens

10:00    Closing Ceremony begins

*Times are subject to change. Check aidsrunwalk.org for more details.

WHERE:             Soldier Field (1410 Museum Campus Dr., Chicago, IL 60605)
*Media may park at Waldron Garage (600 E Waldron Dr., Chicago). Parking fees apply.