Maryland Half Marathon & 5K Supports Cutting-Edge Research at University of Maryland Greenbaum Comprehensive Cancer Center

Virtual Race Set for May 8; Participants Will Run in Their Own Neighborhoods

The Maryland Half Marathon & 5k will return for its 13th year on May 8, 2021, to support cutting-edge cancer research at the University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center (UMGCCC). The race will be virtual again this year in light of the continuing global pandemic. Registration is open at http://mdhalfmarathon5k.org/.

"Cancer doesn't take a break, and neither do we," said Michael Greenebaum, race co-founder and co-chairman. "This is a great opportunity for anyone who wants to 'run with a purpose' to raise money for the amazing research being conducted at this nationally recognized cancer center."

Greenbaum said 100 percent of the net proceeds fund research at UMGCCC – one of a select group of cancer centers in the country to earn comprehensive designation from the National Cancer Institute (NCI).

"We would love to be able to hold in-person races this year, but we want to keep everyone safe from COVID-19,” said Greenebaum, president of Greenebaum Enterprises and a member of the University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center Board of Advisors and Vice Chair of the University of Maryland School of Medicine Board of Visitors. "And what better year to support the cancer center, where doctors and nurses have been on the frontline for more than a year continuing to care for cancer patients while coping with all of the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic."

The Maryland Half Marathon & 5k, which started in 2009, has raised more than $4 million for research at the cancer center.

"We are extremely grateful for the tremendous support that we receive each year from the community, even last year when we held our first virtual race in the midst of the pandemic," said Kevin J. Cullen, MD, UMGCCC's director and the Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Distinguished Professor of Oncology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. "The funds that we've raised have been crucial to helping us continue to investigate new ways to fight cancer, especially in light of federal cutbacks in funding for cancer research."

"Many people's lives have been touched by cancer. Through research, we are making great strides in developing more effective treatments, identifying better ways to detect and diagnose cancer, advancing our understanding of how cancer grows and spreads, and in some cases, even curing certain cancers that once were not survivable," Dr. Cullen said. "But, despite this progress, we still have much more work to do if we want to defeat cancer."

To take part in the virtual race, participants can walk or run in their own neighborhoods and communities – or even on a treadmill – on Saturday, May 8, through Monday, May 10, and submit their time online to race organizers. The registration fee is $50 for either the half marathon or 5k, and people who sign up will receive a T-shirt, medal and electronic link to print a bib. They will also receive a link to upload their times to be posted on the Maryland Half Marathon & 5k website.

Those who would like to support the cancer center can raise funds or donate to a team or individual runner. Teams will be competing for the largest number of members or members representing the largest number of states.

This year for the first time, doctors and nurses at UMGCCC have also selected their favorite #runwithapurpose running songs.

Sponsors include St. John Properties, Greenebaum Enterprises and BRG Healthcare.

U.S. News & World Report ranks UMGCCC among the nation's top cancer centers. The cancer center offers innovative approaches to diagnosing and treating all types of cancer, conducts cutting-edge research to bring the latest advances in cancer treatment directly to patients in Maryland and beyond, and provides cancer screening and patient education services. The cancer center is nationally recognized for its excellence in patient care and multidisciplinary translational research program.

In recent years, UMGCCC has pioneered advances in cancer treatment, including:

• Development of aromatase inhibitors to treat breast cancer by the late Angela Brodie, PhD
• Invention of the GammaPod™, a new radiation treatment option for early-stage breast cancer that can reduce the number of treatments and spare healthy tissue from radiation
• Development of promising new drug compounds and immunotherapies, such as a next-generation chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy.

For more information about the Maryland Half Marathon & 5k, visit http://mdhalfmarathon5k.org. To learn more about the Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center, go to www.umgccc.org.

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