There are less than three weeks left to collect your donations, break in your jogging sneakers and stretch your muscles for the 23rd annual AIDS Walk/Run. This year’s event, on Oct. 18, will feature some traditions of years past, as well as some new introductions.
Robb Reichard, president of AIDS Fund, which stages the annual fundraiser, said the “run” portion of this year’s event has been shortened — from 10 kilometers to about 5 — to make it “more accessible” to more people with a wider range of athletic abilities.
The walk, which sets off from Eakins Oval, stretches about 12 kilometers, or 8.4 miles, along Kelly and Martin Luther King drives.
Last year’s event drew about 15,000 participants and raised about $425,000 for area HIV/AIDS service organizations. Reichard said registration is already up this year, and that he doesn’t expect the tough economy to have too much of an impact on the fundraising.
“I know that our walkers are hard-working and are committed to the epidemic, and I think they’ll work their hardest to get donations,” Reichard said. “They know that it’s been a hard year, so I think that’s going to make them work even extra hard.”
Many walkers register as teams, and this year AIDS Walk will welcome a very large contingent — about 600 participants — from the freshman class at Drexel University.
“They included the walk as part of one of the university’s ‘101’ classes in participation, and I think that’s a really great way for the students to do some fundraising, learn about the HIV/AIDS epidemic and make a difference here in our community,” Reichard said.
Jack Mackenroth, an openly gay and HIV-positive former contestant on “Project Runway,” will also make an appearance. Mackenroth has been traveling the country for the past year promoting his “Living Positively by Design” campaign, which seeks to educate those with HIV and others about the importance of understanding the disease and facing it head-on with a positive outlook.
“What I try to show people in the campaign mirrors how I’ve tried to live my life after my positive diagnosis,” Mackenroth said. “It’s important for HIV-positive people to get on a drug regimen that you decide on with your doctor that can keep the virus at an undetectable level, and there are a lot of things that you have to keep monitoring. For people who are newly diagnosed, they’re often lost and not prepared. But my message is really straightforward: You can have a successful and healthy life and still pursue all of your dreams and your goals.”
In addition to heightening awareness about how to manage the disease, Mackenroth, who was diagnosed with HIV nearly 20 years ago, said he also hopes to use his campaign to encourage others with HIV/AIDS to be open about their diagnosis.
“An HIV diagnosis is of course a very personal journey, and I know that everyone has circumstances either at their job or other extenuating circumstances, but I really think as comfortable as you are talking about it, you should do so,” he said. “Every time that you disclose your status to someone, you’re chipping away at that stigma. It’s kind of like how coming out as gay is. If people are as verbal, vocal and visible as they can be, it can help to fight the stigma.”
While Mackenroth will be speaking out largely to those who are living with HIV/AIDS and their loved ones, the AIDS Walk is also meant to honor those who have lost their battle with the disease. Panels of the AIDS Memorial Quilt will be on display, and names of local HIV/AIDS victims will be read at the steps of the Philadelphia Art Museum before the walk begins.
Reichard said the walk also sheds light on the fact that HIV/AIDS is still claiming many lives; every nine-and-a-half minutes, someone in the country receives a positive HIV diagnosis, and the rate of infection in Philadelphia is five times the national average.
“We still have this epidemic going on in our country and here in our own community, and I hope people keep that in mind,” he said.
Participants can donate or register online at www.aidswalkphilly.org and can also register on site that morning.
Jen Colletta can be reached at [email protected].