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Aug. 5 walk aims to
keep hearts healthy

Star-Bulletin staff

Serious and fun walkers can help fight heart disease by joining the seventh annual Hawaii Heart Walk, starting at 7 a.m. Aug. 5 at Kapiolani Park.

The American Heart Association of Hawaii and Merck & Co. are sponsoring the walk to knock out heart disease as the leading killer of men and women in the islands.

Families and friends can walk together as teams dedicated to the Kardiac Kids Program.

Survivors of heart attacks, heart surgery and stroke will walk with red caps.

Organizations and people who support the Heart Association gather pledges and participate annually in the fund-raiser. Walkers who collect more than $25 in pledges are eligible to win prizes.

The walker who raises the most money will win a trip for two to Las Vegas with airfare, four nights in a hotel and meals, courtesy of USA Hosts.

Walkers may choose a 4.5-mile route around Diamond Head or a one-mile fun walk around Kapiolani Park. Both begin and end at the new bandstand.

Registration for the free event will begin at 6 a.m.

The Hilton Hawaiian Village will serve breakfast in the park to participants after the walk.

A Community Health Fair will offer cholesterol, blood pressure and kidney screening, massage, healing touch, body composition analysis, stroke risk assessments and other information.

Games and live local entertainment will be presented in a Keiki Fun Fair.

More than 2,500 walkers representing 96 Oahu-based companies completed the walk last year to help raise $140,000.

For more information or to pre-register, call the American Heart Association of Hawaii at 538-7021, fax the AHA, 538-3443, or visit the web site at americanheart.org/hi/

Walk registration forms are available at all Times Super Markets, Kaiser Clinics and Dave's Ice Cream stores.