Early Registration Now Open for the Third Annual HERA Foundation Climb4Life Colorado

April 9, 2009 - PRLog -- Boulder, COLO. Early registration is open for the HERA Women’s Cancer Foundation’s Third Annual Climb4Life Colorado, held Friday, June 26 through Saturday, June 27. The hiking and climbing event raises money for HERA’s ovarian cancer research grant program and awareness initiatives through community sponsorship and individual participant fundraising. Hosted by REI Boulder, the Colorado Mountain School and the Boulder Rock Club, the hiking and rock climbing components take place in the canyons and on trails in the Boulder/Denver area. Hiking trail options vary in length and technical challenge while the Colorado Mountain School provides qualified instructors for those new to rock climbing. Climbers with experience are grouped according to ability level and each group climbs with a world-class professional climbing athlete. Registration is $50 through May 31, and $65 after that time.  Participants can register at http://www.climb4lifeco09.kintera.org.  

Women, men, and children of all ability levels are encouraged to participate. Participants who raise over $750 are entered into a coveted gear raffle.  Special prizes are awarded to top fundraisers and to those that reach the $2,500, $5,000 and $10,000 fundraising levels.  Other event activities include morning yoga classes, massages after climbing and hiking, a meet and greet event and a dinner and dance party.

Last year’s Climb4Life Colorado event raised $38,614 and attracted 68 participants. Organizers anticipate a much larger turnout for this year’s event that will honor HERA founder Sean Patrick of Carbondale, Colo. Patrick passed away on January 20, 2009 from complications related to ovarian cancer. One in 71 women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer this year. With early detection, more than 90% will survive. Currently, only 24% of ovarian cancer is caught early. 1

“Sean was a remarkable woman who touched many lives in profound ways,” says Lisa Carmichael, interim Executive Director for the HERA Foundation. “She was an outdoor enthusiast who had a strong connection to the climbing community. Her passion was to raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of ovarian cancer and raise funds for cutting edge scientific research so women’s lives will be saved.”

Of the money raised at the HERA Climb4Life, 85 percent goes to support research of early detection, better treatment and prevention of ovarian cancer.

HERA Climb4Life Colorado
Friday, June 26  
3:00 – 6:00 p.m.
Check in & registration    
REI Boulder    (1789 28th St.)

5:30-7:30 p.m.
Hangtime Party
Location TBA

Saturday, June 27
7:30 - 8:30 am
Yoga: Boulder Rock Club (2829 Mapleton Avenue)

8:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
Late check in/registration

9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Climb at crags or hike at classic Boulder location

3:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Massages: Boulder Rock Club

6:00 p.m. -9:00 p.m.
Party:   North Boulder Park (9th and Dellwood)
Dinner, live music and dancing, gear raffle and awards.

HERA Climb4Life Seven Summit Sponsors:
Arc’teryx, Black Diamond Climbing Equipment, BlueWater Ropes, Boulder Rock Club, Climbing Magazine, Colorado Mountain School, Evolv, FoxRiver, Guyot Designs, Liberty Heights Fresh, MadRock Climbing, Montrail (Visionary Sponsor), Mountain Hardwear, Omega Pacific, Patagonia, Petzl, prAna, REI, Rock & Ice, Sea to Summit, SMC, Stonewear Designs, Trail Runner Magazine, The North Face, Utah Mountain Adventures and Women’s Adventure Magazine.

# # #

About the HERA Foundation
The HERA Foundation is a registered 501 (c) 3, whose mission is to stop the loss of mothers, daughters, wives, sisters, partners and girlfriends from ovarian cancer by empowering women to take control of their health, empowering the medical community to find new directions in ovarian cancer research and empowering communities to provide support. HERA is an acronym for Health, Empowerment, Research and Awareness. For more information, visit http://www.herafoundation.org.