CVS Caremark Downtown 5K to Celebrate 20th Anniversary

 

 

 

 

CVS Caremark Downtown 5K Expects
Record Turnout for
20^th Anniversary

Participants could top 10,000 this year

 

Woonsocket,
R.I. (September 9, 2009) ‰ÛÓ From elite athletes to recreational runners and walkers, the 2009 CVS
Caremark Downtown 5K offers something for everyone. Celebrating its 20^th
anniversary, Rhode Island’s largest road race will kick-off with youth races in
the morning, followed by the main 5K race that will feature several elite and
world-class runners, including Anthony Famigletti, who won last year’s race
after participating in the Beijing Olympics.

The event will conclude with a
High School Inspirational 3K for student athletes. The CVS Caremark Downtown 5K
is scheduled for Sunday, September 20 in Downtown Providence.

 

“Every
year, the number of people running or walking in the CVS Caremark Downtown 5K
increases.  That tradition
continues as we hope to reach a record of 10,000 participants of all ages this
year to celebrate the Downtown 5K’s 20^th anniversary,” said Eileen
Howard Dunn, CVS Caremark senior vice president of corporate communications and
community relations.

“From the country’s most elite runners competing for a
national title, to generations of families running together, the Downtown 5K
attracts a wide range of participants. 
The growth of this event has helped the CVS Caremark Downtown 5K raise
more than one million dollars for charity over the past nine years.”

 

The CVS
Caremark Downtown 5K includes 21 different races for children, pre-kindergarten
through eighth grade, including an All Kids Can Inspirational event for
children with physical and intellectual disabilities; a 3K Inspirational event
for high school runners; and the 5K event, which draws elite athletes competing
for the US Track and Field 5K championship, as well as amateur runners
competing as individuals or on college, corporate, police and firefighter
teams. Walkers are also welcome to participate in the race.

 

“Since it
started, the Downtown 5K has drawn athletes from across New England and around
the world,” said John Gregorek, winner of the first Downtown 5K 20 years ago,
and currently a resident of Seekonk, Mass.  Gregorek competed in the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, the
1987 World Championship in Rome, as well as other international competitions.
“I’ve since run in the Downtown 5K with my father-in-law, my wife and my
children. It’s truly a generational event and we always have a great
time.” 

 

This year,
the CVS Caremark Downtown 5K is pleased to welcome Tufts Health Plan as the new
sponsor for the High School Inspirational 3K. Student athletes from all high
schools in Rhode Island and southern New England are invited to form school
running teams.

All participating high schools that finish 25 participants from
their school team will be eligible for one of ten random drawings of $500 to be
used for the physical education and/or track programs at their respective
schools.

Tufts Health Plan has a national reputation for excellence built on
its commitment to prevention and wellness support for its members.  “It’s an honor for Tufts Health Plan to
support this race and the Rhode Island community,” said Brian Pagliaro, senior
vice president of sales and client services at Tufts Health Plan. “The High
School Inspirational 3K is a great way to instill the importance of a healthy
lifestyle.”

 

New this
year is a School Spirit costume contest for high school students, also
sponsored by Tufts Health Plan. Judges will select the school team with the
most creative costumes and award that team with new track uniforms (up to $750
value).  All participants in the
costume contest will receive a complimentary stopwatch.

 

The 2009
CVS Caremark Downtown 5K encourages both elite athletes and novice runners to
participate in the event. Interested participants are advised to register as
soon as possible as online registration closes on September 15. Advance race registration for
individuals and teams, as well as course map and complete event information can
be accessed at www.cvsdowntown5k.com.

  

Late
registration and race packet pickup will be on the Rhode Island State House
Lawn, Gaspee Street in Providence on Saturday, September 19, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
and on Sunday (race day), September 20, 7:15 to 10:45 a.m. The first 5,000 registrants
for the 5K race will receive a gift bag. The CVS Caremark Downtown 5K will
start and finish on Francis Street in front of the Rhode Island State House.

 

About the
Downtown 5K

The Downtown 5K is recognized by the IRS as a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization
that promotes health and fitness through road racing. Proceeds from the annual
race event are donated to local youth charities in Rhode Island and Southern
New England.

 

About CVS Caremark

CVS Caremark is the largest provider of prescriptions in the nation. The
Company fills or manages more than 1 billion prescriptions annually. Through
its unmatched breadth of service offerings, CVS Caremark is transforming the
delivery of health care services in the U.S. The Company is uniquely positioned
to effectively manage costs and improve health care outcomes through its more
than 6,900 CVS/pharmacy and Longs Drugs stores; its Caremark Pharmacy Services
division (pharmacy benefit management, mail order and specialty pharmacy); its
retail-based health clinic subsidiary, MinuteClinic; and its online pharmacy,
CVS.com. General information about CVS Caremark is available through the
Investor Relations section of the Company’s Web site, at
www.cvscaremark.com/investors, as well as through the press room section of the
Company’s Web site, at www.cvscaremark.com/newsroom.