April 5, 2007
UWMC sponsors 2007 Seattle Marathon
The UW Medical Center is the title sponsor of the 2007 Seattle Marathon. Proceeds will benefit the UWMC Patient and Family Housing Fund. The fund provides local, affordable housing for transplant patients, their families, and others who travel long distances for specialized medical care. This is the second consecutive year that UWMC has sponsored the Seattle Marathon.
The University of Washington Medical Center Seattle Marathon 2007, Half Marathon Run, Marathon Walk and Half Marathon Walk will be held on Sunday, Nov. 25. The UW Medical Center Seattle Kids Marathon 2007 will be held Saturday, Nov. 24. To learn more about the Seattle Marathon, or to sign up to run, walk or volunteer, visit http://www.seattlemarathon.org.
For the past six years, UW Medical Center has sponsored Team Transplant, a group of UWMC transplant recipients, faculty physicians, staff, family, and friends, who have participated in the Seattle Marathon. More than 180 Team Transplant members, including 30 liver, kidney and heart recipients, participated in the 2006 event. The team was founded and is coached by Alysun Deckert, a UWMC dietitian and past Olympic trials qualifier.
In addition, this year UW physicians and staff will provide medical care to Seattle Marathon participants on the race course, at the finish line, and at the Victory Recovery Area at the Seattle Center.
The Seattle Marathon was founded in 1970. More than 11,000 individuals participated in the running and walking events last year, and more than 45,000 people passed through the Seattle Marathon Health and Fitness Expo in the two days leading up to the main event on Sunday morning. The geographical reach of the Seattle Marathon continues to grow year after year as well, with 47 states and 10 nations represented at the 2006 event.
The Seattle Marathon Family of Events has risen to become one of the largest, most influential mass-participation runs on the West Coast, and is ranked by Runners World magazine as one of the top 20 marathons in the United States.
