VA 5K this weekend in Lexington benefiting veterans and their families

The event is being held virtually and in-person

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) – This weekend in Lexington you can enjoy crisp fall weather, get some exercise and help veterans at the same time by taking part in the Sixth Annual VA 5K.

Participants can run, walk or wheel when and where it’s convenient for them virtually or in-person in a safe and healthy environment.

Registration for the virtual event ends Sunday, Nov. 7 at 2:59 p.m.  The virtual event will be held Nov. 6-7.

Registration for the in-person race ends Sunday, Nov. 7 at 1:59 p.m.

For in-person participants, race packets, including numbered bibs and t-shirts, can be picked up from 10:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. on race day on site at the Lexington VA Health Care System’s Franklin R. Sousley campus at 2250 Leestown Road in Lexington.

Activities for in-person participants and their families will begin at Noon. The timed race will begin at 1:00 p..m.  The awards ceremony and door prize presentations will begin at 2:00 p.m. or as soon as times are tabulated. Coffee and hot chocolate will be available for registered participants before the race. Refreshments will be provided post-race.

Prizes will go to the top five male and female finishers overall and top three finishers in each of the following age groups for males and females: Under 10, 11-15, 16-20, 21-25, 26-30, 31-35, 36-40, 41-45, 46-50, 51-60, 61-70, 71-100, and all over 100.  There will be no duplication of awards.

Parking and restrooms will be available at the race site on the Sousley campus.

Proceeds from the VA 5K will benefit the Lexington VA Health Care System and Friends of Lexington Fisher House.  The non-profit foundation is raising money to build a Fisher House on the grounds of the VA on Leestown Road in Lexington.  Construction site preparations are well underway.  After being delayed more than a year due to the pandemic, the Lexington Fisher House is expected to up and running sometime in 2022.

A Fisher House is a home where veterans’ families stay for free while their loved one is hospitalized in either of the two VA hospitals in Lexington.

The house will have 16 private suites and a communal living room, dining room and kitchen.

A Fisher House is only built on military bases or on VA property.  Currently, the only Fisher House in Kentucky is at Fort Campbell.  The Lexington Fisher House will be first to be built in Kentucky on VA property.

Once the $7 million home is built, the non-profit foundation will gift it to the VA for free at which time it will be owned and operated by the VA.

The Lexington Fisher House will become a home away from home for veterans’ families so they can focus on what’s important, which is getting their loved one better.  A family’s love is good medicine.

The house will serve generations of families and keep them from potential financial ruin.

To register for the virtual or in-person VA 5K, click here.

To learn more about the Lexington Fisher House or to make a tax-deductible donation to the building fund, click here.