SIU Med Students to Host Annual AMA 5K Run

The 11th annual American Medical Association 5K Run, organized by medical students at the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, will be held at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, April 16. This year's event is titled the 2005 Presidential Race and is being held in conjunction with the Abraham Presidential Museum opening festivities. It will begin on Capitol Street between Second and Third Streets in Springfield.

Advance registration is requested, although entry forms are available from 7 to 8 a.m. inside the Armory Building at the corner of Monroe and Second Streets. Registration forms are available at various Springfield health clubs and from Springfield Running Club members. The fee is $14 until April 11 and $15 after that date.

There is a one-dollar discount for Springfield Road Runners Club members and the Lake Run Club. Checks should be made payable to SIU School of Medicine and sent to SIU AMA 5K Run, c/o Mindy Smith, 1117 N. Amos Ave. St., Springfield, IL 62702.

The race is a fundraiser sponsored by SIU's student chapter of the American Medical Association. The group has donated more than $23,000 from previous races.

All race proceeds this year will be donated to M.E.R.C.Y. Communities, located at 108 E. Cook Street in Springfield, which provides homeless and at-risk families with transitional living and comprehensive support services.

For registration and information, contact SIU's Office of Student Affairs at 217-545-2860 weekdays or fourth-year medical student Mindy Smith at 789-1464 or msmith3@siumed.edu.

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