Join the Race for a Celiac Cure
Sign up for the Virtual Step Beyond Celiac 5K on Sept. 26, and support research for a cure without even leaving your home.
Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! Download the app.
Beyond Celiac, the leading catalyst for a celiac disease cure in the United States, will host its 2021 Virtual Step Beyond Celiac 5K on September 26th. Presented by Independence Blue Cross and supported by other generous corporate sponsors, proceeds from the event will support the organization’s goal of accelerating treatments toward a cure for celiac disease by 2030. Registration is $35 and available at stepbeyondceliac.org. Participants are encouraged to post about their 5K experience on social media with the hashtag #ReadyStepGo.
“We are committed to ensuring our community members live life to the fullest and can eat without fear at every stage of life,” says Alice Bast, CEO of Beyond Celiac. “While we look forward to safely gathering in person in the future, our virtual Step Beyond Celiac 5K is such a rewarding way to connect with others in our community while making important steps toward a cure. Together, we can help each other live better, longer, and achieve our goal of effective treatments and a cure for celiac disease.”
The decision to hold a virtual event in 2021, Bast explains, was based on the fact that the Step Beyond Celiac 5K has always been a family-friendly event, welcoming runners and walkers of all ages and abilities. While the latest resurgence of Covid-19 infections poses little risk at an outdoor event to those who are fully vaccinated, there are younger children who participate who cannot yet be vaccinated at this time, and Beyond Celiac does not want to put the health of any of its enthusiastic runners at risk.
Individuals and teams have been making exceptional progress in their fundraising work related to the event—the 2021 Step Beyond Celiac 5K has already raised more than $117,000 for celiac research. Participants can continue their efforts through the virtual 5K by running or walking 3.1 miles wherever they are.
Proceeds raised from the Step Beyond Celiac 5K support research to generate more information about the seriousness of the disease and its many symptoms and long-term health risks. Beyond Celiac uses the results of research it funds to better inform the work of regulators and those developing treatments.
Beyond Celiac also supports fresh approaches to patient-centered research, projects to bring more diversity and effective recruitment to clinical trials, and research to prevent celiac disease in young children before it starts. Learn more about the Beyond Celiac science plan to drive treatments toward a cure by 2030 here.