Parrot Head Run in the Flats Benefits Youth Mental Health

Sat 6/24 @ 4PM

Want to see grown-ups in parrot headgear and Jmmy Buffett concert T-shirts, yelling “I need a cheeseburger and a margarita!”? Sign up to run in the first Parrot Head Run chip-timed 5K run/one-mile walk, co-founded by Erin Slater, Beth Koch, Dawn Ziemnik and Nicole Wise.

“Most do not know the backstory of Parrot Head Run as it’s not something we advertised or promoted in any way,” says Slater.

That story is a difficult one. In  June 2016, Slater’s sister passed away from suicide at age 36.. She had been diagnosed as bipolar but had been unable to land on an effective therapy or combination of medications and had become addicted to alcohol in an attempt to self-medicate. it wasn’t her first suicide attempt.

“We were in a state of shock and overwhelmed with grief when she passed, so we did not have a memorial service for her,” says Slater. “We thought she had been doing better. Her moods ebbed and flowed, but right before her death she seemed to be in a good place. Bipolar has the highest suicide rate of all the psychiatric conditions, with 25% to 50% attempting suicide at least once.”

Instead of a service, Slater and her friends (one of whom was her sister’s best friend since childhood) founded a race.

“We founded this race to honor and remember my sister for who she was and not her disease,” says Slater. “She enjoyed a long list of pleasures in life, including the music of Jimmy Buffet. In fact, right after she died, I made a list of all the things that she liked, and it happened to be a very long one. Parrot Head Run is our secret little celebration of her life and not meant to be a sad occasion. Our families are flying in for this celebratory occasion.”

The race is a scenic run/stroll along the Cuyahoga River’s East Bank. The $25 entry fee includes the Parrothead Run pre-party, the Five O’Clock Somewhere Afterparty with food and drink tickets and live music, a finisher medal and T-shirt, prizes in male and female age brackets — and best Parrothead attire. So use your imagination.

Proceeds go to Fostering Hope Ohio, who’s mission is to enrich the lives of children living in foster care and residential treatment by providing unique experiences, and giving the community opportunities to profoundly impact a child’s life.

Register here.

parrothead

Cleveland, OH 44113

 

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