San Marcos — The American Heart Association 2009 Hays County Start! Heart Walk will take place Saturday at Bobcat Stadium in San Marcos.

Registration begins at 8 a.m., followed by the Heart Walk at 9 a.m.

The annual 5K non-competitive walking event is designed to bring public awareness to physical activity and a heart-healthy lifestyle, while raising money to fund heart disease and stroke research and educational programs in the Central Texas region.

Teams are made up of employees from local companies, along with friends and family members of all ages.

Saturday’s walk will honor former Hays County Sheriff Allen Bridges, who died suddenly of a heart attack on Dec. 6. Bridges’ family will attend the event, with special ceremonies prior to the walk to honor Bridges’ life and impact on the region.

A law enforcement veteran of 36 years, 11 of which were spent with the Hays County Sheriffs Department, Bridges died after collapsing in his Dripping Springs home. He was 62.

“Heart disease robbed our family and community of many years with a good man,” said Kathy Bridges, the late sheriff’s wife of 36 years. “If we could go back, we’d have been more proactive with his health. But it can be such a silent killer and the signs can be so subtle. That’s why it’s important that we continue to raise critical research dollars and awareness about how important it is to take charge of our own health and recognize those warning signs. We are proud to lend Allen’s name to this Saturday’s Start! Heart Walk, in hopes that his legacy of life can continue,” she said.

Heart disease and stroke rank as the No. 1 and No. 3 killers of Americans. These and other cardiovascular diseases kill more than 870,000 Americans each year and cost the nation more than $403 billion in direct and indirect costs.

In Texas, cardiovascular disease accounted for more than 51,000 deaths in 2004, the last year for which such statistics are available. Those numbers are decreasing, in part due to American Heart Association-funded research, which has contributed to important discoveries such as CPR, life-extending drugs, pacemakers, bypass surgery, the heart-lung machine and surgical techniques to repair heart defects.

For information on participating in the Start! Heart Walk, Hays County area residents can call the American Heart Association Austin office at 512-433-7220 or visit www.heart.org/hayscountywalk.



About the American Heart Association

Founded in 1924, the American Heart Association today is the nation’s oldest and largest voluntary health organization dedicated to building healthier lives, free of heart diseases and stroke. These diseases, America’s No. 1 and No. 3 killers, and all other cardiovascular diseases, claim nearly 870,000 lives a year.