2018 Race Features New Course and Earlier Start Time
West Columbia, S.C. – On your mark, get set, go! Join us for the Lexington Medical Center Heart and Sole Women’s Five Miler on Saturday, April 21 in downtown Columbia. This women-only event features a five-mile run, a five-mile walk and a three-mile-walk. In its 17th year, Heart and Sole is designed to celebrate women and the power of a healthy lifestyle, and to raise awareness that heart disease is the #1 killer of women. With a strong commitment to a comprehensive cardiovascular program at hospital, Lexington Medical Center is pleased to be the title sponsor.
The start line is at Arsenal Hill on Laurel Street. The opening ceremony is at 7:30 a.m; the 5-mile run and walk begin at 8:00 a.m; and the 3-mile walk starts at 8:05 a.m. The finish line is at the bottom of Finlay Park on Taylor Street. Each woman will receive a red rose and a finisher’s medal as she crosses the finish line. A post-event celebration and expo featuring Lexington Medical Center clinicians as well as WIS-TV news anchors Dawndy Mercer-Plank, Judi Gatson and other WIS-TV personalities will take place in Finlay Park until 10:30 a.m.
“We’re proud to host the Heart and Sole Women’s Five Miler because it not only encourages physical activity a healthy lifestyle, it also calls attention to the issue of heart disease — the biggest health threat women face today,” said Dr. Amy Epps, cardiologist with Lexington Cardiology, a Lexington Medical Center physician practice.
Launched by the Carolina Marathon Association in 2002, the Lexington Medical Center Heart and Sole Women’s Five Miler is South Carolina’s first women-only road race. It has grown from fewer than 400 female participants in its first year to more than 1,300 today. Sponsored in conjunction with WIS-TV, the race offers women of all athletic abilities the opportunity to participate in a comforting, supportive environment. Elite athletes, as well as first-timers, enjoy the unique event.
Women who have participated in Heart and Sole in previous years will recognize changes in the course this year. The growth of Columbia’s Soda City Market on Main Street has made the downtown area on Saturday mornings busier than ever before. As a result, the course will now go down Marion Street, incorporate historic sections of the city and eliminate the Gervais Street hill. These changes will create a flatter, faster course. Additionally, the race will begin 30 minutes earlier than previous years.
For more information, including a course map, packet pick-up, race day and awards information, and to register, visit HeartAndSolerun.com or HeartAndSolerun.com.
We hope to see you at the start line!
About Lexington Medical Center
Lexington Medical Center is a 438-bed hospital in West Columbia, South Carolina. It anchors a health care network that includes five community medical centers and employs a staff of more than 6,500 health care professionals. The network also has cardiovascular and oncology care affiliated with Duke Health, an occupational health center, the largest skilled nursing facility in the Carolinas, an Alzheimer’s care center and approximately 60 physician practices. Lexington Medical Center operates one of the busiest Emergency departments in South Carolina, treating approximately 85,000 patients each year. The hospital delivers more than 3,500 babies each year and performs more than 23,000 surgeries. Lexington Medical Center is currently undergoing the largest hospital expansion in South Carolina history by creating a new patient tower that will open in 2019. Lexington Medical Center has a reputation for the highest quality care. For more information, visit LexMed.com.
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