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    • AVON PARK, Fla.–Feb. 6, 2015–On your mark, get set, go! Registration forms for the sixth annual Panther 5K Run, Walk, and 50-Mile Ride are now available online at www.southflorida.edu/giving/panther-5k. This annual family event will take place on Saturday, March 7, and benefits the South Florida State College (SFSC) Athletic Department.

    The entry fee for the SFSC Panther 5K Run, Walk, and 50-Mile Ride is $25 for adults, $20 for students with a current I.D., and $15 for children ages 6-12. Children under the age of 6 are admitted free with a completed form, but do not receive a shirt. The first 250 registered participants receive a goody bag and an official Panther dri-fit shirt for adults and students or t-shirt for children. The entry fee remains the same through race day. Shirts or specific sizes cannot be guaranteed for those who enter after Feb. 20.

    To register, www.southflorida.edu/giving/panther-5k and print the registration form located on the left menu. Participants can mail completed registration forms to the SFSC Foundation Inc., 13 E. Main St. Avon Park, FL 33825, fax them to 863-453-8023, or email them to foundation@southflorida.edu. Participants can pay with a check made out to the SFSC Foundation, Inc. and mailed to the SFSC Foundation Inc., 13 E. Main St. Avon Park, FL 33825, or call 863-453-3133 to pay with a credit card.

    The Panther 5K Run and Walk will take participants on a path through the beautiful SFSC Highlands Campus and along College Drive. Participants can choose to run the 5K as a race or to take a more leisurely, family-friendly walk. Four-legged friends and strollers are welcome.

    In celebration of SFSC’s 50th year of service to its community, the event will feature a new 50-mile bike ride that will take participants from the SFSC Highlands Campus in Avon Park to the SFSC Lake Placid Center and back.

    Registration is 7 – 7:45 a.m. on race day in the Panther Gymnasium. Bikers will depart from the SFSC campus at 7:30 a.m. followed by an 8 a.m. start for runners and walkers.

    Scrambled eggs and fruit will be available to participants after each race. A special awards ceremony will follow the Walk/Run. Awards will be given to the first three finishers in each age (6 and up) and gender category as well as Overall, Masters, and Grand Masters for runners. Each bicyclist that completes the 50-mile ride will receive a participation medal.

    “This event helps us to promote health and wellness among our community, raise funds to help support SFSC athletics, and allows us to promote our beautiful campus here at SFSC,” said Rick Hitt, SFSC athletic director and head baseball coach. “We greatly appreciate all the people who come out to participate in the event, all of the volunteers who support the effort, and our outstanding committee of people who work hard to make this event bigger and better every year. It has become an outstanding event, and with the college celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, we look forward to supporting that celebration.”

    The annual Panther 5K Race, Walk, and 50-Mile Ride is sponsored by the SFSC Foundation, Inc. and the Jarrett Family Foundation. The college’s 50th Anniversary is sponsored by Dental Care of Mid Florida, Harbor Community Bank, and the News-Sun.

    SFSC will present other 50th anniversary events throughout 2015. All members of the community are invited to participate in these events as SFSC celebrates the success of the college’s first 50 years, and as we look to the future and what the next 50 years will bring.  Sponsors for the year-long 50th anniversary are the Sebring News Sun, Dental Care of Mid-Florida, and Harbor Community Bank. For more information on SFSC’s 50th Anniversary or the Panther 5K, Run, Walk, and 50-Mile Ride, visit www.southflorida.edu/college/50th-anniversary or contact the SFSC Foundation, Inc., at 863-453-3133. 

    Click here for the 2015 Panther 5K Run, Walk, and 50-Mile Bike Ride Registration Form.