Starting guns goes off at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 10, 2008 at Security Service Field, home of the Sky Sox

The Alex Hoag Run for Sunshine has become a Colorado Springs tradition and was named best 5K Race in Colorado by Colorado Runner magazine in 2006.

The Run has grown from a small neighborhood event to a huge city event. In 2008, 800+ runners and walkers are expected to participate. The Run is the primary fund-raiser for the Proteus Syndrome Foundation. Alex Hoag lost is battle the disease in 1999 and his mother, Kim Hoag, founded the race in his memory.

The $20.00 race registration fee will be waived for those who collect $100.00 or more in donations. First, second and third place awards will be given to the fastest male and female in thirteen age categories.

The top three teams will also receive awards. The awards were donated by Artful Adventures and hand-painted by race volunteers. In addition, Runner’s Roost has donated cash awards for the top male and female finishers overall.

Entertainment on race day will include music, Kempo Karate Demonstrations, Sox the Fox, Mascot for the Sky Sox, chickfila cows, prizes and much more.

The race is a USATF certificated course and serves as a qualifier for the Bolder Boulder race.

In addition to the race, participants are invited to feast on a pancake breakfast for a $5.00 donation to the Proteus Syndrome Foundation.

This year, a one-mile race, The Military Challenge will occur prior to the Alex Hoag Run. This event honors our military and troops from Fort Carson and Peterson Air Force Base as well as cadets from the Air Force Academy are expected to participate.

For more information, visit the Alex Hoag Run for Sunshine web site at www.alexhoagrun.org.

About Alex Hoag

A year after his birth in 1990, Alex was diagnosed with Proteus Syndrome(PS). As a young child his family watched helplessly while his bones overgrew and his joints became bent and unmovable. Major surgeries became a part of Alex's life to keep him as mobile as possible.

A special gift he brought to the many people whose lives he touched was his wonderful sense of humor and his playful laughter. He never complained about being confined to a wheelchair, or the limitations of his life due to Proteus Syndrome.

His strength was amazing and inspirational. His family always believed that Alex would continue to defy the odds and live a long happy life, however, Proteus Syndrome won this battle. In the form of a pulmonary embolism, a complication of PS Alex died unexpectedly on a rainy Monday afternoon.

About the Proteus Syndrome Foundation

The Proteus Syndrome Foundation is a worldwide support group founded by Alex Hoag's mom, Kim, in 1991. It supports research to find the cause of and cure for this disease.

It also provides family support by helping families unite and by giving grants to families helping them buy much needed medical supplies such as wheelchairs, shoes, hospital beds, etc.

The syndrome became widely known by the movie and Broadway play 'The Elephant Man'. PS is a rare and highly variable syndrome affecting multiple organ systems.

The cause of Proteus Syndrome is unknown, the effects of Proteus Syndrome on children and adults is devastating. These effects include, but are not limited to: increased organ, bone, or body size; tumors of the vascular system and fat cells; extreme deformities; pulmonary embolisms; all of which can possibly lead to death.