A Flurry of Feet: Florida Hospital Fish Memorial Race Raises $23,000 to Fight Cancer Locally

DEBARY, Fla., December 22, 2016 Due to Hurricane Matthews disruption, the Florida Hospital Fish Memorial fifth annual Pink Feet 10K/5K Road Race was rescheduled from October to Dec. 4, but that didn't dampen the spirits of the nearly 500 runners who raced in the fight against cancer.

The Pink Feet started off with a beautiful, chilly morning that quickly warmed up, said Maureen Mercho, Florida Hospital Fish Memorial Foundation executive director.

Hosted by Florida Hospital Fish Memorial Foundation and Final Mile Race Management, the chip-timed USA Track and Field certified course began and ended at Gemini Springs Park in DeBary.

In the 10K, Chris Madzik, 35, of Deltona was the overall male winner with a time of 42:07 and Melissa Corp, 57, of Lake Mary was the overall female winner with a time of 45:17.

In the 5K, Eric Graveling, 35, of DeLand was the overall male winner with a time of 18:59 and Meagan Murphy, 33, of Sanford was the overall female winner with a time of 25:39.

Even though the event was originally scheduled in October to celebrate national breast cancer awareness month, we had such a strong turnout and the Pink Feet costumes were even more creative this year Mercho said.

Awards were given for best costumes, and first, second and third place by age group.

It was a wonderful day and everyone left knowing they impacted the health of their community, as we raised $23,000, which will stay local and support Florida Hospital Fish Memorial Foundations fund for patients with any type of cancer, including breast cancer, said Mercho. Many cancer survivors took part in the race and it was heartwarming to see their friends and family help some of them across the finish line.

About Florida Hospital Fish Memorial

Florida Hospital Fish Memorial is a member of Adventist Health System, a faith-based health care organization with 46 hospital campuses and nearly 8,200 licensed beds in 10 states. With 175-beds, Florida Hospital Fish Memorial is one of the six Florida Hospitals in Volusia and Flagler counties that composes the Florida Hospital East Florida Region. As the largest hospital system in the area, the Florida Hospital East Florida Region has 923 beds and more than 6,000 employees. With a mission to extend the healing ministry of Christ, the Florida Hospital East Florida Region collectively contributed nearly $120 million in benefits in 2015 to the underprivileged, the community's overall health and wellness and spiritual needs, and capital improvements.