Maryland Half Marathon & 5K Back in Person for 2023 to Support Cutting-Edge Cancer Research

After three years of virtual events due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Maryland Half Marathon & 5K returns to Maple Lawn in Howard County on Saturday, June 10, 2023.

The 15th annual race unites runners, walkers and supporters looking to improve the lives and outcomes of cancer patients. Net proceeds support cancer research and innovative care at the University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center (UMGCCC) at the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC), one of a select group of cancer centers in the country to earn comprehensive designation from the National Cancer Institute (NCI).

Participants can select from two distance options: the 13.1-mile half marathon and the 5K race. Registration is $75 for the half marathon and $40 for the 5K and includes an official race t-shirt, race medal, and access to a runner's dashboard. Non-runners are also encouraged to participate by raising funds or donating directly to an individual runner or team. All donations are tax-deductible.

"Research holds the key to eradicating this devastating disease that has touched so many lives," said Michael Greenebaum, who founded the Maryland Half Marathon and serves on UMGCCC's Board of Advisors. "By joining us for the Maryland Half Marathon & 5K, you can run with purpose, helping to raise critical dollars to support innovations in cancer research that will lead to better treatments and save more lives."

Launched in 2009, the Maryland Half Marathon & 5K has raised more than $6 million for research at the cancer center. These funds have made it possible to develop more effective treatments, identify new ways to detect and diagnose cancer and advance the understanding of how cancer grows and spreads.

"We are extremely grateful for the tremendous support that we receive each year from the community," 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 (UMSOM). "The funds that we've raised have been crucial to helping us continue to investigate new ways to fight cancer."

This year's race sponsors include St. John Properties, Chesapeake Contracting, Greenebaum Enterprises, BRG Healthcare, and WJZ-TV.

To register and learn more about the Maryland Half Marathon & 5K, visit www.mdhalfmarathon5k.org. To learn more about the Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center, go to www.umgccc.org.

About UMGCCC

UMGCCC is one of two NCI-designated comprehensive cancer centers in Maryland and 53 in the United States. It 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 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.