Lace up your running shoes and get set to run or walk around historic Lake  DeFuniak

Loop the Lake 5K Run/Walk and 1 mile Fun Run on will be held Sept. 18 from 7 – 10 a.m. The event is a fundraiser for the 2010 American Heart Association Heart Walk, will be scored by RunItByUs, Atlanta, Ga., using Bar Code Bibbs technology.

This year marks the fourth year of the race. In 2009, slightly more than 300 runners and walkers participated in Loop the Lake and helped raise more than $8,000 for the American Heart Association.

Information about the run, as well as the race course and registration form click here. Click on the Loop the Lake logo on the left side of the page. Early registration costs $15 and ends Sept. 12. Registration from Sept. 13 until 7 a.m. on race day will be $25. The fun run for kids 10 and under costs $10. In addition, a group discount is available.

The race begins at 8 a.m. at the Amphitheater on Circle Drive in DeFuniak Springs and ends near the Amphitheater. Trophies will be awarded in the following categories: Runners – overall male/female, Top Master male/female, Grand Master
male/female, top in each age group male/female. Wheelchairs, overall winner. Walkers – overall male/female, top male/female in each age group.

The 1 mile Kids’ Fun Run is begins at approximately 8:30 a.m. Trophies will be awarded to the overall 1st boy and girl and top boy and girl in each age category.

In addition, there will be T-shirts, door prizes, refreshments and music. The race’s title sponsors are CHELCO and CHELCO Services Inc. (CSI). Other major sponsors to date include WZEP 1460 AM Radio, PowerSouth Energy, Florida
Transformer, Walton County Prevention Coalition, Osmose, Hubble Electric, Timeless Hardscapes, Chautauqua Rehabilitation and Nursing Center and Regional Utilities.

The race was started not only as a fundraiser but to raise awareness of heart disease and to get people started on the road to good health through exercise. All proceeds from the race benefit the American Heart Association. The Heart Association’s Heart
Walk will be Sept. 25 at the Northwest Florida State College campus in Niceville.

For more information about Loop the Lake and sponsorship opportunities, contact
Bryan Gilbert at 892-5069, ext. 125, or bgilbert@chelco.com.

CHELCO (Choctawhatchee Electric Cooperative) is a Touchstone Energy member-owned electric utility with headquarters in DeFuniak Springs, Fla. The cooperative serves the wholesale power needs of approximately 46,000 homes and residences in Walton, Okaloosa, Holmes and Santa Rosa counties. CHELCO is committed to the communities it serves and strives to improve the quality of life for its members, employees and residents in the local communities.