Still Time To Get Rev’d Up for Sunflower Weekend!

John M. Tew, MD, right, and Major Jason Jackson enjoy the 2009 Sunflower ride. Photo by Mark Bowen.

It’s not too late to get involved in the Sunflower Revolution VII weekend! The Sunflower Symposium, a free educational program presented by the UC Neuroscience Institute on Saturday, will feature 18 speakers and 14 exhibitors. Registrations can be made at (513) 569-5354, and walk-ins are welcome. About 500 runners and walkers – including the legendary Davis Phinney, a Tour de France stage-winner, have signed up for Sunday’s events, and hundreds more last-minute entries are expected.

Cost of the 100k and 40k bike rides is $90. The 20k family bike ride is $50, and the 5k run/walk and 2k stroll are $35. The events begin and end in downtown Milford, also the site of the weekend's Sunflower Streetfest.

The events benefit research and wellness programs at the James J. and Joan A. Gardner Family Center for Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders at the UC Neuroscience Institute. The Gardner Center was designated a Morris K. Udall Center for Parkinson’s Disease Research by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke last fall.

Sunflower Sunday features more than 40 teams, a Sunflower record. New teams include the GE Flyers, KGM Big Ring, Mary Ann's Milers (from Xenia, Ohio), the Movers and Shakers, Reis Walkers (from Northern Kentucky), Shake, Rattle & Roll, UCF Proudly Cincinnati, Team Mar (from California), Team Dayton/Michelob Ultra, Team Whisman, Team Yellow Springs, The Chaney Crew, Teady Walkers, and Team Curran.

Team UCNI/Gardner Center leads the team fundraising, followed by Team Mar, Team Cholesterol and Team Ankenman. Teams have raised $75,000 to date.

Major event sponsors are Cintas and Kroger, followed by UBS, Western & Southern Financial Group, UBS Financial Services, University Hospital/UC Health, Historic Milford Association and Local 12-WKRC.