Tourette 5K Takes Over Flushing Meadows Park This Weekend

FLUSHING, QUEENS -- Runners, walkers and their supporters will fill the Flushing Meadows Corona Park this weekend to raise awareness and money for the Tourette Association of America.

The Tourette Association's National Awareness Walk and 5K will begin bright and early at 7 a.m. on Sunday. Racers start and finish at the corner of 111th Street and Corona Avenue, looping through the entire park in the process.

The route starts off passing the Queens Zoo and hits the Queens Museum of Art before wrapping around the famed Unisphere. It runs along the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center and miniature golf fields before spinning around the Fountain Of The Planets to the Garden Of Meditation and back to the finish line. For a more fun map of the 5K, click here.

After racers bypass all the fun the park has to offer, they can enjoy it for free. Cost of registration for the event - $30 to walk or $35 for the 5K - comes with free admission afterward into the Queens Zoo, Hall of Science and carousel, according to the Tourette Association.

The event will also feature a DJ, group events and refreshments, and every participant will receive a Team Tourette T-shirt.

Check-in and registration for the walk and 5K open up at 7 a.m. The Tourette Association will also host a free Kids Fun Run starting at 8:45 a.m., followed by the start of the Awareness Walk and 5K at 9 a.m.

Proceeds from the race will go toward research, awareness and support programs that benefit people affected by Tourette Syndrome and Tic Disorders.

(Lead image via Shutterstock)