Fitness enthusiasts will “Go Pink” for the fourth year in a row this Saturday at Lake Katherine, though this year the event is getting a month-long boost from the City of Palos Heights.
The city has declared October as Breast Cancer Awareness Month in the city and approved the purchase and display of a dozen Palos Goes Pink banners, which are hanging along Harlem Avenue in promotion of the initiative.
The Palos Goes Pink event is organized by Megan Wenstrup, who owns Heights Cycle in Palos Heights, and is dedicated to raising money to fund breast cancer research.
“I’ve been in the fitness business for over 15 years,” Wenstrup said. “Years ago, before Heights Cycle was a thing, one of my regular riders asked me to do a 100-mile outdoor bike ride for the Susan G. Komen Foundation.”
Despite her initial hesitation about the long-distance outdoor ride, Wenstrup said she participated and was “so moved” by the event. “There were so many survivors and thrivers there participating and cheering at the stops, it was inspiring. Breast cancer impacts one in eight women, so almost everybody has a story about it one way or another, and we’re starting to see it impact a lot of younger women, too.”
Heights Cycle, Chulo Fit, Do Good Movement yoga studio, Clearly Reformer Pilates, and Run to the Pub will host the event at Lake Katherine from 8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 3, in which pre-registered participants will take part in five 20-minute fitness classes and a run/walk around the lake.
Registration is capped at 100 people, and Wenstrup noted that only two or three openings were available as of Sept. 29, for $75 each. The event will include a strength training class, indoor cycling, mat Pilates, and yoga before the morning ends with the group run/walk.
Early registrants donated between $50 and $65 for their participation spot. For those unable to register or not wanting to do the fitness portion of the event, a $25 donation can also get access day-of to a vendor fair at Lake Katherine where local businesses will offer samples and shopping.
Last year, Wenstrup said the event raised $20,000 for cancer research, and the group’s goal this year is to reach $25,000.
While many organizations raise funds for breast cancer research in October each year, Palos Goes Pink has a more niche cause, specifically raising money to research treatments for stage 4 metastatic breast cancer.
“The leading minds in the field think they could find a cure for breast cancer in our lifetimes, but they need the funding for the research,” Wenstrup said. “But even so, only about 3% of that funding goes to looking at metastatic cancer.”
The metastatic cause is close to Wenstrup’s heart as one of her employees at Heights Cycle, Jackie Seiner, has been living with the disease for the past eight years.
“She found her own lump at 34 years old, just four months after she got married,” said Wenstrup. “She got it checked out and found that it had metastasized to her brain.”
Seiner has been living with the condition receiving chemotherapy every three weeks for years and she and her husband even welcomed twins via surrogate during that time.
“She’s amazing. She never misses work, and she lives a very full life despite having this disease that has no cure,” Wenstrup said.
All of the funds raised through Palos Goes Pink are donated directly to Rush University Medical Center, where Seiner receives her treatment.
Individuals interested in helping Palos Goes Pink reach its fundraising goal but unable to attend the event can donate directly to Rush through a dedicated group page on Rush’s website, https://give.rush.edu/campaign/705622/donate, throughout the month of October.
The banners, which were sponsored by 12 local businesses, will also remain up on Harlem throughout the month.
In addition to the event and the website, the group is hosting a pre-party from 5-8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 1, at Durbin’s in Tinley Park for participants and the public, featuring raffles with prizes donated by the sponsoring businesses, including gift baskets and a bicycle, to raise money and one sponsor, Van Gogh Salon in Palos Heights, is also collecting donations throughout the month in-shop with the goal of raising an additional $1,000.
Other sponsors of the event include Molson Coors, Clean Eatz of Orland Park, Kerlin Walsh Law, Pass Health Foods, PH Nutrition, Durbins, Darla’s, Rosaura Alfaro—Coldwell Banker, and Melissa Casserly—Baird & Warner.
“It’s really been amazing, the whole thing this year with the city involved,” said Wenstrup. “We’re very excited, and we’re hoping for beautiful weather. It’s just one of the best days.”
