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“font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px;”>“We’ll walk for somebody else’s cancer, or somebody else’s well being,” said Heart and Soul 5K Run organizer Aeesha Bell. “But when it comes to doing a walk for ourselves, it’s a deterrent.”
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“font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana;”>After her own journey towards healthier living, thanks to a weight loss challenge at work, Bell began relentlessly working on a campaign to get black women more serious and involved in their fitness.
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“font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana;”>In December she began planning an event of her own. Out of the process came the Heart and Soul 5K Run, which is taking place this Sunday at Creve Coeur Park in Maryland Heights.
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“font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“I just got a little frustrated with what I see in black women,” Bell said.
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“font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“Our focus is not on our health and our fitness at all, and our children grow up thinking the same thing – and that’s not okay. A lot of us choose losing weight as a New Year’s Resolution, so I wanted to see how many we could get on this journey.”
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“font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana;”>The results were staggering. More than 500 signed up, including individuals and more than 80 teams.
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“font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“We put such an emphasis on teams because we know it’s a lot easier when there are other people motivating you,” Bell said. “We wanted to give them an incentive to work together.”
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“font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana;”>So many teams and individuals rose to Bell’s challenge that parking accommodations had to be moved to Harrah’s to ensure spaces for all registered runners.
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“font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana;”>They set out to train every weekend, but to say that this season’s weather has been uncooperative would indeed be an understatement. Somehow, between the blizzards, thunder, hail and most recently tornados, the Heart and Soul runners managed to squeeze in six practice runs over the last four months.
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“font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana;”>They even had a running workshop with Breakthrough Pain Relief Clinics, where they offered instructions and tips and tools on everything from fitness injury to running through the pain.
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“font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana;”>The practices and rehearsal runs are over. Sunday is the big day, 2 p.m. is the time and registration will be open until an hour before the race begins (1 p.m.).
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“font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“I want to thank Plaza Cadillac, Harrah’s and Radio One for their support,” Bell said. “Especially Staci Static – I don’t know how to express how phenomenal she is and how grateful I am for her having the same passion that I have about this race every day on the air.” “font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana;”>
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Health
vs. hair
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“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>As she planned for the Heart and Soul 5K Run, Bell was forced to face a sad reality – a well-known, yet frivolous obstacle among black women as they seemingly surrender to obesity.
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“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“Our hair is killing our health,” Bell said. “We can’t exercise between Saturday and Tuesday because we spent $50-70 for a hairdo. That’s crazy.”
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“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>When she first started the weight loss challenge at her job, Bell had braids. But now she has a system.
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“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“I wash my hair on Saturday, take a break from working out on Sunday and start again Monday evening,” Bell said.
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“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“That way, I have really cute hair for three days, and then I have to work with it for the rest of the week. At some point in time, you’re going to have to sacrifice your hairdo to improve your fitness. Ladies, no man has ever turned down a woman because her hair looked worse than her behind.”
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“font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana;”>The Heart and Soul 5K Run will take place at 2 p.m. on Sunday, May 1 at Creve Coeur Park in Maryland Heights. A Kids Fun Run will precede the main event. Medals will be awarded by age group. Children must be registered by 12:30 p.m. For more information, visit http://www.heartandsoulrun.com.
