By Casey Wheeless

An expected 2,500 people are participating in this year’s annual American Heart Association Central Kentucky Start! Heart Walk on Saturday, according to Heart Walk director Jennifer Ebert. The organization is hoping to reach its goal of $281,784.

“We are up to $156,000, but we still have a ways to go,” Ebert said.

This is the fourth year the walk has been held at Commonwealth Stadium. The course will start at the stadium, head toward the W.T. Young Library and continue through neighborhoods around the library. The walk will last from 10 a.m. to noon. Registration starts at 9 a.m.Everyone starts off together and participants can choose to walk for one mile, turning around at the library, or continue for three miles, Ebert said.

Colin Dempsey, a management and Spanish sophomore, plans to walk at the event. He and members of his fraternity, Phi Gamma Delta, plan to help support their brother, Murphey Coy, who recently received a heart transplant.

Dempsey heard about the walk from Coy, who wanted to get the fraternity involved. 

“With that, we as a fraternity ran with it,” he said. 

Teams and individuals participating were encouraged to fundraise for the walk. Registration is free, and those who raise a minimum of $100 receive a T-shirt.

“For the past two to three weeks we have sold about 185 T-shirts for Team Bonnell (Murphey’s surgeon) and all proceeds are going to the American Heart Association,”  Dempsey said.

Dempsey said there are about 85 people on Team Bonnell and 54 of them are members of Phi Gamma Delta.

“The event is really important because the funds we raise go to fund education advocacy and research,” Ebert said.

During the walk, a free apartment will be given away by the Heart Walk to a group of two students who registered and raised $250 by Thursday. The apartment is located at Red Mile Village and will include free rent from August 21st to July 21st of next year, Ebert said.

Students are encouraged to join the Heart Walk Apartment Promo on Facebook.com to see the eligibility and details. Four groups have signed up thus far. The winners will be announced at the walk on Saturday.

“Heart disease is the number one killer in Kentucky,” Ebert said. “More people die from heart disease, period.”

Ebert encouraged families to come out and bring pets if they would like. She also encouraged everyone to come out and tailgate after the walk for the Blue and White football game at 1:30 p.m.

People can run if they choose, but will not be timed or be given a running bib with a number.

If anyone is interested in walking or making a donation, walkers can register the morning of the race or by calling the Heart Walk office at 859-278-1632, or visiting their Web site at http://www.heartwalk.kintera.org/lexingtonky.