Hyundai Hope On Wheels Brings Back Rancho Santa Margarita 5K Monday

For many years, the Rancho Santa Margarita 5K was a staple of Labor Day activities in the city. However, because of budget constraints, the city had to discontinue the annual event.

It marks a return this holiday weekend.

On Labor Day—Monday, Sept. 5—Hyundai will host the first Hyundai Hope on Wheels 5K Race & Walk in Rancho Santa Margarita to support childhood cancer research. It begins at 8 a.m.

The event will feature a 5K (3.1 mile) run or walk with special guest Jenn Shelton, a top ultramarathoner. The 5K will be followed by a Celebration of Life Family Fun Day, in which families can enjoy face painting, carnival games, a classic car show, arts and crafts, food and more.

Participants can register online for the event between now and Saturday, Sept. 3 at 11:59 p.m. The cost of the event is $30. Children 9 and under who run/walk with a participating adult are invited to participate at no cost.

The Celebration of Life Family Fun Day in is also free. Those looking to sign-up over the weekend can do so in the El Paseo Multi-Purpose Room at the Bell Tower Civic Plaza from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., and also on-site the day of the race.

The event will also include a Hope on Wheels Handprint Ceremony, during which children affected by cancer from Children's Hospital of Orange County will place their handprints in colorful paint on a canvas to commemorate their brave battles with cancer.

Also speaking at the ceremony will be Brianna Commerford, the national spokeskid for Hope on Wheels. She was diagnosed with stage 4 Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2007 and has since been in remission. Brianna is set to begin high school this year; for the past two years has traveled the country visiting hospitals and children with cancer.

Hyundai Hope on Wheels is the united effort of Hyundai Motor America and its more than 800 US dealers across the U.S. to raise awareness about childhood cancer and celebrate the lives of children battling the disease.  After September, Hyundai Hope on Wheels will have committed more than $43 million to childhood cancer research since 1998 and is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.    

The Hope on Wheels 5K Race & Walk will be one of the first stops on the Hyundai Drive 4 Hope tour, which launched this month and features Hyundai’s Tucson Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle. Over the course of the month, the Tucson will travel more than 4,500 miles in support of National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, visiting hospitals, donating grants, and collecting handprints and stories from children battling cancer.