For the first time post-pandemic, Utica University will host America’s Greatest Heart Run & Walk on March 2, along with the Healthy for Good Expo on March 1. This year, the locally renowned event will celebrate its 50th anniversary. 

Director of Physical Education and Athletics David Fontaine said Utica University holds deep ties with the event and he was excited for its return. 

“For several years prior to COVID, we were the hub of America’s Greatest Heart Run and Walk,” Fontaine said. “It’s a big and great event, we’re expecting a high turn out and we’re really looking forward to it.”

According to Fontaine, students should expect the Harold T. Clark Athletic Center to be a busy location around the time of the event, as the majority of operations for it will be based inside. 

“From the athletic perspective, we need to make sure our teams are accommodated,” Fontaine said. “Most likely, practices will be moved to [the Todd & Jen Hutton Sports Dome], while from Thursday to the Saturday that the Heart Run takes place, the gym is handed over to the American Heart Association.”

The Clark Athletic Center gymnasium will be staged to host the Healthy for Good Expo, while the fundraising telethon hosted by WKTV and operated by select student athletes will take place in the gymnasium classroom, Fontaine said.

Planning for such a large and complex event has taken approximately five months, according to the Vice President of Facilities and Emergency Management Shad Crowe. The time frame comes as a result of the need to coordinate many different groups.

“For those two days we will have a significantly large number of people visiting the campus,” Crowe said. “There are many groups involved in the event who have a vested interest in the planning process. University facilities, campus safety, and IITS all have tremendous responsibility for portions of the event.”

In order to properly host the event, certain areas will be used and restricted from student access, according to Crowe. Those areas include the Miga Court, the Clark Athletic Center gymnasium classroom, and portions of parking lots B and C.

“Our University community will receive multiple messages in the coming days reminding everyone of the event,” Crowe said. “Messaging will include road closures, parking lot areas that will be impacted, and of course the importance of paying attention to surroundings and activities.”

The most impactful of changes students can expect for the event is the closure of both the Burrstone Road and Champlin Avenue entrances, Crowe said. Students will receive updates regarding alternative entrance and exit routes closer to the date of the event. 

For more information on America’s Greatest Heart Run & Walk, or to participate in the event, visit the American Heart Association’s website at www.heart.org.