Virtual 5K expands annual run into national biliary atresia fundraiser
BARE, Colleen’s BA 5K collaborate on monthlong event
An annual fundraising run in the Washington area becomes a monthlong, virtual event this year to raise funds and awareness for the rare pediatric liver disease biliary atresia.
Biliary Atresia Research & Education (BARE) is collaborating with Colleen’s BA 5K on the event, “Taking Strides for Pediatric Liver Disease: Colleen’s BA5K in Collaboration with BARE.” It will take place in October, which is also National Liver Awareness Month.
“Join us for a virtual event that fits your schedule & helps raise awareness & education around Biliary Atresia,” BARE wrote on the event’s webpage. “Throughout October, we invite you to run, walk, dance or celebrate in honor of Colleen and the BA [biliary atresia] community.”
Biliary atresia is a disease affecting infants in which the bile ducts that carry the digestive fluid bile from the liver to the small intestine are blocked or absent, ultimately leading to severe liver damage. The exact cause of this rare disease isn’t known, and most children eventually require a liver transplant.
Colleen’s BA 5K has been held each year in Kensington, Maryland, for over a decade. Participants run five kilometers, or 3.1 miles. The event honors the legacy of liver disease awareness advocate Colleen Mitchel, who was born with biliary atresia and died in 2013 at age 19 while awaiting a second liver transplant.
Broadening awareness
The event, which has raised more than $285,000 to date, aims to support organ donation awareness, research into the underlying causes of biliary atresia, and efforts to improve outcomes for children with liver diseases after transplant.
This year’s collaboration with BARE expands the effort’s reach. While the 5K is usually done in person on a single day, this year it will be entirely virtual and continue throughout October. This is intended to allow participants across the country to participate and support the cause.
“The goal is to significantly broaden awareness of Biliary Atresia, support families impacted by pediatric liver disease, and drive momentum toward critical efforts such as nationwide newborn screening and earlier diagnosis,” BARE wrote in an email newsletter.
Individuals or groups can select any date in October to move for 3.1 miles. Running isn’t the only option: Participants can walk, skip, dance, or move in any way and in any setting. Groups can form a team and do their 5K on the same day, even if they don’t live in the same place.
“Whether you walk, jog, or push a stroller the whole way, it’s all about moving together for a great cause,” BARE wrote on the event’s page.
Registration for a single person is $20 in September and $30 in October. For groups of three or more, registration is $60 until the end of the month and $75 in October. Those who don’t want to do the 5K can also become an event sponsor or donate to help reach a total of $10,000.
Local events supporting the initiative will be held in some areas. For example, Waldo’s Chicken & Beer in Aurora, Colo., is hosting a spirit night on Oct. 29, donating a portion of sales to BARE.
BARE is a nonprofit founded in 2022 by two mothers of children with biliary atresia. It is dedicated to driving research and education to better manage and treat the liver disease.
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