Lindo’s Race Looks To Raise $25k For Charity
[Written by Stephen Wright]
Organisers of the Lindo’s to Lindo’s Road Race will hope to raise more than $25,000 for the Bermuda Diabetes Association [BDA] as the event marks its 25th anniversary.
The event, which features a 10k run, 4-mile competitive walk, and 4-mile fun run/walk, starts at Lindo’s Family Foods in Warwick and finishes at Lindo’s Market in Devonshire tomorrow [March 3].
Funds will go towards expanding the BDA’s education initiatives and its Client Assistance Programme [CAP], with organisers hoping for a bumper turnout of more than 1,000 participants.
“Last year, the proceeds raised $24,000, and this year, with the event celebrating its 25th anniversary, we hope to raise $25,000,” Sara Bosch de Noya, the BDA diabetes educator, told Bernews.
“We hope to get rid of all our free 25th anniversary T-shirts because we won’t be able to give them away next year!”
Ms Bosch de Noya believes the fun run/walk is perfect for those looking to become more active and make positive lifestyle changes, especially considering Bermuda’s disproportionately high concentration of Type 2 diabetes – a common condition that causes glucose [sugar] levels in the blood to become too high.
“The 4-mile walk is a nice doable distance,” she said. “Regular physical activity can be such a lifesaver – it lowers blood glucose, lowers blood pressure, helps people towards weight goals, and can act as a prevention strategy.
“When people ask, ‘How much activity should I be doing?’ And my answer is, ‘Probably a little bit more than you’re doing right now.’
“A four-mile walk should take about 45 minutes for most people – a gentle walk.”
Ms Bosch de Noya said the longstanding partnership between Lindo’s and the BDA made “perfect sense” given the store’s reputation for quality foods, which are a crucial part of a healthy lifestyle.
“As a health educator for people with diabetes, our instruction is to eat well and use whole foods, real foods, less ultra-processed foods,” she said.
“For people living with Type 1 diabetes [a condition where the pancreas produces little or no insulin], they will have to take insulin 52 weeks a year and continually make decisions on how to better their blood glucose levels.
“Support, physical activity, and eating well are huge components, and we couldn’t do it without the support of Lindo’s.”
Ms Bosch de Noya said there were also numerous mental health benefits to physical exercise, especially walking.
“You can’t have a bad day in Bermuda if you start your day with a walk on Horseshoe Bay or along the South Shore,” she added.
“I often tell people with diabetes not to think about walking every day as a physical benefit to your health but as a way to elevate your physical reaction to that stress, plus being outside and breathing in that fresh air makes you feel good!”
To register, visit https://runsignup.com/Race/BM/Warwick/LindostoLindos.
The cost of entering one of the competitive events is $35 and non-competitive entries are priced at $30.
Those who donate or raise more than $100 in sponsorship money for the BDA will have their entry fees refunded.
