GLASGOW, DE
Despite the rainy forecast, more than 2,500 people will come together Saturday in Old New Castle for atTAcK addiction’s 11th annual E-Racing the Stigma 5K, Delaware’s largest recovery event.
Before the 5K begins at St. Peter’s School, Lt. Governor Bethany Hall-Long and New Castle County Executive Matt Meyer will address the thousands rallying to support those in recovery, hold up individuals in active use, and honor their loved ones lost during the ongoing opioid epidemic. Wearing colorful T-shirts and carrying poignant signs to remember their loved ones, individuals and teams will run and walk through the streets of Old New Castle and Battery Park.
Registration ($35) is available until race day online. Team and individual T-shirt and bib pick-up is scheduled for Friday evening at St. Peter’s School gym at 515 Harmony St.; individuals and captains were notified via email. Same-day registration ($40) and T-shirt/bib pick-up will begin at 8 a.m. Saturday in the gym, with the race beginning at 9 a.m. Shuttle bus parking is available Saturday morning at William Penn High School and George Read Middle School, each on East Basin Road in New Castle, with limited parking available at New Castle Elementary School on Delaware Street in Old New Castle. Rain is forecast, so bring umbrellas, ponchos or waterproof coats or jackets.
The 5K has become an annual rally for loved ones and friends to honor those lost during the opioid epidemic, to celebrate those living in recovery, and to reduce the stigma associated with substance use disorder. Prior to the 5K, sponsors will offer resources and information about treatment and recovery services, medical care, and training on how to administer naloxone – a medication that can reverse and opioid overdose – and provide free Narcan kits. New Castle County Mounted Patrol Unit will also be there.
“Since we founded atTAcK addiction in 2013, just months after losing our son, Tyler, to an accidental heroin overdose, more than 4,000 lives in Delaware have been lost to overdoses,” said co-founders Don and Jeanne Keister. “While our annual 5K coincides each year with Tyler’s birthday, it also is a way for people all across our state to honor their loved ones lost to this horrific disease and to celebrate those living in recovery. We are so grateful to everyone who has helped turn the E-Racing the Stigma 5K into Delaware’s largest rally for recovery.”
atTAcK addiction is a statewide nonprofit that raises awareness of the disease of addiction, assists individuals and families with information and resources, and supports people living in recovery, including through four recovery houses. To learn more about atTAcK addiction, go to the website or visit the atTAcK addiction/Impact Life Resource Center at 210 Peoples Plaza, Newark.
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