2026 Teal Ribbon Run / Walk - Hope for Heather

The Teal Ribbon Run/Walk offers a Live and a Virtual Teal Ribbon cancer support events. Join us for the 18th Annual Teal Ribbon Run/Walk for ovarian cancer awareness. The live event is on May 16th at Lewis Park in Minoa, NY and a virtual event, will take place between May 16th and May 23rd anywhere you want in celebration of our survivors and angels.

Teal Ribbon Run/Walk Provides:
-- Flat and Fast, Certified 5K Course with Electronic Chip Timing:
-- The course is designed for Personal Best Time (PBT) - no exhausting hills
-- Fewer corners, long level straight sections, asphalt course, no traffic
-- Cool spring morning temperatures are perfect for your PBT
-- The finishing 1/3 mile is slightly down hill
-- You have trained all spring, You are ready for a PBT!
-- After race activities:
-- Team awards
-- Awards for the top male and female finishers in age groups
-- Awesome Basket Raffle
-- Each Adult Bib enables Free Slice of Pizza or Draft beer (at Trappers II)
-- Awards for top fund raisers (Prizes presented three weeks after the race date)
--  Certificates and prizes will be awarded for the top runners in each age group. 

Race day registrations begins at 8:00AM at Lewis Park, Minoa, NY  in the Pole Barn. 
Race day registrations will be via cell phone, or tablet with QR code available to scan.
This year cash and credit card will be accepted for registration and donations on race day.
Every registrant has the option to select an event shirt as long as the registration is received by April 30th. 

The Teal Ribbon Run is one of Hope for Heather’s largest community awareness events. Monies raised will be used to support ovarian cancer awareness, local patient support and research. Hope for Heather is an IRS 501(c)3, 100% volunteer organization. This means 100% of the net registration proceeds and 100% of fundraising dollars goes to the cause. We are passionate about spreading awareness on ovarian cancer and funding research to improve outcomes and save lives.   Prizes will be provided for individual fundraisers that raise $100, $250, $500, or $1,000. View the fundraising prizes below.  
   During registration you will have the option to setup a fundraising page. This is an important step as many of your friends, work associates, neighbors and relatives will be happy to sponsor you as a runner or walker. You will receive a confirmation email that will allow you to edit your page and customize the hyperlink to your page. Sharing your page on social media will make it easy for your friends and relatives to sponsor your participation.
Below are the fundraising prizes for exceeding fundraising goals:

Virtual 3K - 5K - 10K

We are offering virtual 10K, 5K and 3K events this year. You can run your favorite course or the Minoa course between the live event date and the following Saturday. Upload your time to the Runsignup registration site to see how your time compares with other runners. Registered runners receive an event T-shirt, a downloadable bib with your number and a downloadable participation certificate with your logged time. 

Note: during registration select email or text messages to enable easy, fast uploading of your finishing time from a reminder message. 

Virtual Pet Walk

Walk with your pet displaying their new teal bandanna. Strut the neighborhood together as you proudly and raise awareness on ovarian cancer. Pets can be very effective fund raisers. Who can say no to that cute face and loving eyes. Registered pets receive a pet bandanna. Registered pet walkers can download a
bib and a certificate of participation.

Prizes for Reaching Fundraising Goals:

Hope for Heather hosts events to allow the community impacted by Ovarian and other GYN cancers to assemble and honor loved ones. We supply online fundraising pages that can be personalized and shared on social media to encourage friends, work associates, neighbors and relatives to sponsor a runner or walker. Please start your fundraising page during registration. You will receive an email with a link to allow you to personalize your fundraising page. Since fundraising is a very important part of our events, we offer merchandise prizes for the top fundraisers. Hope for Heather volunteers raise funds to finance research for finding an effective screening test, improve results of existing therapies and to eventually discover a cure. Hope for Heather is a 100% volunteer organization so all the money you raise will be applied locally to the charitable mission.
Your donors will receive an email receipt for their donation that they can use for tax filings.
Thank you in advance for your efforts.
This year's fundraising prizes are shown below.

Didn't find the information you were looking for? Check out our frequently asked questions below to see if we have an answer for you. 

What is a virtual run?
Virtual races happen all the time, and allow you to join the fun without the crowds. You simply run or walk the distance on your own, and report your results - we’ll send you instructions via email or text.

This means you can jog, walk, skip, or dance. You can do this on the sidewalk, on a track, on a treadmill or on a trail, just remember to use recommended safety precautions. You get to run your own race, at your own pace, and time it yourself.

Where should I run? Is there a course?
You can run our certified course or you can have some fun and make your own course!

https://hopeforheather.org/Files/TealRibbonCourse2015.pdf

What is the deadline to register to participate in the virtual Teal Ribbon Run?
Online registration will close on the Saturday one week after the live event

How does timing work?
The virtual Teal Ribbon Run is self-timed. We will communicate with you instructions on how to submit your results by email or by text. To have your time included in the race results, runners/walkers must submit their results by the Saturday one week after the live event at midnight. 

Do I have to submit my results?
Nope, you do not have to submit your results if you do not want to. You also have the option to post as anonymous and not submit a time.  

Where does the money go from Virtual Teal Ribbon Run?
The money raised from the Virtual Teal Ribbon Run helps fight ovarian cancer at (OCRA) Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance and the "Heather's Angel Fund" at Upstate Cancer Center.

Can I create or join a team? 
Yes, you can create or join a team during or after the registration process.  Teams can be family, friends, schools, companies, running clubs or whatever you'd like. The bigger your team, the better!  

Can I form a fundraising team?
Yes! If you are registering online for Virtual Teal Ribbon Run, you will come to a donation page. If you scroll down while on this page, you will see 'Become a Fundraiser'. Click on this to set up a new individual fundraiser and to start/join a team. You will able to update your fundraiser goal, create your customized URL, upload an image, and update your personal heading and message that will display on your fundraising page.

Towards the bottom of the page, you will see the option to start/join a team fundraiser. Use the drop down menu under ‘Join a Team Fundraiser’ to start a team fundraiser or join an existing team fundraiser.

If you have already registered for Virtual Teal Ribbon Run, but want to start/join a team, click on "Become a Fundraiser" link on the left frame main menu to create an individual fundraiser and create/join a team fundraiser. Make sure you are signed into your RunSignUp account. 

I am training for a long distance race or running in another race during the same period as the Virtual Teal Ribbon Run. Can I count those miles?
Yes! Just make sure to register online to participate in the Virtual Teal Ribbon Run. 

I am not from Central New York; can I still participate?
Yes! Since this year’s event is a virtual run, there are zero geographical barriers to participation. We encourage everyone from around the world to join us as and help raise critical funds for ovarian cancer patients and their families in Central New York. 

I still have questions, what do I do?
Please contact support@hopeforheather.org if you have additional questions.

Note: Arrive early! the main access road (Costello Parkway) will close at 9:30AM. After 9:30AM access is more difficult. Closest parking is full by 9:30AM

9:00 AM - Teal Ribbon Run grounds open: teams assemble, vendors, sponsors, survivors
9:10AM - Team photos at the photo wall
9:30-9:40AM - Warm up session Evolve Fitness
9:40AM - Team photos at the photo wall
9:50AM - Call to the start line
9:55AM - Announcements and Anthem
10:00AM - Teal Ribbon 5K Starting Gun
10:05AM - Teal Ribbon 3K Walk Gun
11:45AM - Awards Ceremony - Pole Barn
12:00PM - Live Event Ends