The American Heart Association will host its annual Heart Mini and accompanying events March 9 and 10 at the Duke Energy Convention Center.

“The Heart Mini is Cincinnati’s largest single-day fundraiser and hometown favorite of more than 40 years,” explains Lori Fovel, Communications Director of the Cincinnati American Heart Association. “Each year, close to 30,000 registrants come together to participate in a heart healthy exercise and raise lifesaving funds to fight off the No. 1 and No. 5 killers – heart disease and stroke.”

According to Fovel, the theme this year is “Mini not Mini,” meaning that the impact of the Heart Mini is anything but mini with its 30,000 participants and $3M fundraising goal.

The Heart Mini is a two-day event that features activities for guests of every age, including the ½ Marathon, 15k race, 5k race, 2k kid’s race, 5k heart walk, 1k Steps for Stroke, a health and fitness expo, and a kid’s fun run.

Festivities for the Heart Mini kick off at 9 am on Saturday, March 9, at the Duke Energy Convention Center with the Health and Fitness Expo presented by Worldpay. This time frame is also when runners and walkers can pick up their packets.

Then, at 12 pm, is the Kids Fun Run for little ones ages 7 and under presented by Cincinnati Children’s Hospital.

Everyone will be getting down to business on Sunday, March 10, in downtown Cincinnati. At 7:30 am starts the Medpace 15K Heart Mini and St. Elizabeth Heart ½. The UC Health 1K Steps for Stroke starts at 9:15 am and the Ohio National Financial Service 5K Heart Race starts at 10:30 am. The 2K Kid’s Race begins at 11:30 am and the Mercy Health 5K Heart Walk is at noon.

Fovel says there are a lot of events supporting the American Heart Association leading up to the Heart Mini in March. To learn more about those events and to register for any of the races or walks for the Heart Mini, click here.

Watch below as I train for the Heart Mini and share a little about “my why” for choosing to compete in this race!