STRIDE Adaptive Sports celebrating Olympic Day with “Strides 4 STRIDE” 5K & 2.5K Run, Walk ‘n’ Roll

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 19, 2014

Event to feature U.S. Paralympian Kim Seevers

ALBANY, NY – The spirit of the Olympic Movement will roll into Albany, as STRIDE Adaptive Sports hosts a 5K & 2.5K Run, Walk ‘n’ Roll combined event in celebration of Olympic Day.

This Saturday, June 21^st, the 5^th annual “Strides 4 STRIDE” event will kick off at 9am with a 5K race starting at Albany’s Jennings Landing Ampitheatre and leading participants down a fast, flat course through the Corning Preserve riverfront. Chip timing will be provided by ARE Event Productions. At 10am, athletes, family, friends, and community members will join together for a 2.5K community walk ‘n’ wheelchair roll awareness demonstration, promoting healthy, active lifestyles, regardless of disability. This family-friendly event also includes a 400-meter tot run (5 yrs. or less), a bouncy house, free chair massages, and fun activities with Sparky the Clown and Goofball, including face-painting, temporary tattoos, and balloon making.

As part of Olympic Day festivities, local Team USA Para Alpine Skiing athlete, Kim Seevers, will be in attendance, along with other honored guests. Ms. Seevers competed in the Sochi 2014 Winter Paralympics as guide to visually-impaired alpine skier, Staci Mannella. Prior to partnering with Mannella, Seevers also worked with Caitlin Sarubbi, a visually-impaired alpine skier who competed for Team USA at the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games.  In addition to her Paralympic activities, Ms. Seevers also serves as a staff examiner of PSIA-E (Professional Ski Instructors of America – Eastern Division) with Mary Ellen Whitney, founder and CEO of STRIDE Adaptive Sports.

“As longtime friends of Kim Seevers, STRIDE was thrilled to support her when she competed at the Sochi 2014 Paralympics. We are honored to have her commemorate Olympic Day at “Strides 4 STRIDE” and inspire youth of all ability levels in the Capital Region community,” said Mary Ellen Whitney, founder and CEO of STRIDE Adaptive Sports.

“Strides 4 STRIDE” is one of more than 700 events taking place nationwide between June 14 and 30. The events, designed to engage youth and promote the ideals of the Olympic movement, feature athlete appearances, family-friendly activities and interactive learning experiences.

Around the world, more than 160 countries take part in the annual celebration. Olympic Day, created in 1948 to commemorate the birth of the modern Olympic Games, focuses on the Olympic values and ideals such as fair play, perseverance, respect and sportsmanship. In the U.S., Olympic Day events range from small gatherings to large, city-wide events.

Serving as an Olympic Day host in the Capital Region of New York, STRIDE Adaptive Sports is a U.S. Paralympics Sports Club, a Special Olympics New York provider, an affiliate member of Disabled Sports USA, and one of the leading adaptive sport programs in the Northeastern U.S. All race proceeds will directly help STRIDE Adaptive Sports provide its 17+ adaptive sports and recreation programs for disabled youth and Wounded Warriors, with thousands of program lessons offered at no cost to participants. STRIDE is a not-for-profit volunteer organization dedicated to enriching the lives of children and individuals with disabilities through sports and recreation programs.

For more information about “Strides 4 STRIDE”, please contact STRIDE Adaptive Sports at (518) 598-1279.

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