Lexington Medical Center will be hosting the 17th annual Heart and Sole Women’s Five Miler on Saturday, April 21 in downtown Columbia. This women-only event features a five-mile run, a five-mile walk, and a three-mile-walk. Heart and Sole is designed to celebrate women and the power of a healthy lifestyle and to raise awareness that heart disease is the #1 killer of women.

“We’re proud to host the Heart and Sole Women’s Five Miler because it not only encourages physical activity a healthy lifestyle, it also calls attention to the issue of heart disease — the biggest health threat women face today,” said Dr. Amy Epps, cardiologist with Lexington Cardiology, a Lexington Medical Center physician practice.

Launched by the Carolina Marathon Association in 2002, the Lexington Medical Center Heart and Sole Women’s Five Miler is South Carolina’s first women-only road race. It has grown from fewer than 400 female participants in its first year to more than 1,300. Sponsored in conjunction with WIS-TV, the race offers women of all athletic abilities the opportunity to participate in a comforting, supportive environment. Elite athletes, as well as first-timers, enjoy the unique event.

Women who have participated in Heart and Sole in previous years will recognize changes in the course this year. The growth of Columbia’s Soda City Market on Main Street has made the downtown area on Saturday mornings busier than ever before. As a result, the course will now go down Marion Street, incorporate historic sections of the city, and eliminate the Gervais Street hill. These changes will create a flatter, faster course. Additionally, the race will begin 30 minutes earlier than previous years, with the opening ceremony at 7:30 a.m.

A post-event celebration and expo featuring Lexington Medical Center clinicians, as well as WIS-TV news anchors Dawndy Mercer-Plank, Judi Gatson, and other WIS-TV personalities, will take place in Finlay Park until 10:30 a.m.

To register, visit HeartAndSoleRun.com or HeartAndSoleWalk.com.