SOLOMONS — A cold, rainy Saturday on Solomons Island produced the largest fundraising total in the 17-year history of the CalvertHealth Breast Cancer 5K Run/Walk: $187,655 for breast cancer care in Calvert County.
Nearly 1,000 people ran or walked the course Oct. 17, CalvertHealth said in a Nov. 9 announcement. Registration ran well ahead of the turnout, at 1,704 runners and walkers, a sign that hundreds of people paid to support the cause even though the weather kept them off the route.
The money goes to the Sheldon E. Goldberg Center for Breast Care at CalvertHealth in Prince Frederick, which opened in 2010 as Southern Maryland’s first multidisciplinary breast center. The hospital has said the event matters locally because breast cancer incidence and death rates in Calvert County run above both the state and national averages. The 5K pays for services that keep patients from having to leave the county for care, including imaging technology, nurse navigation and financial help for patients.
Barry Friedman, who chairs both the 5K and the CalvertHealth Foundation board, credited participants, volunteers, sponsors and donors alike. The total, he said, reflects a community committed to neighbors facing breast cancer and to “helping them access care close to home.”
A fundraiser that has tripled in four years
The record caps a steep climb for an event that began in 2010 and went virtual during the pandemic. Totals reported by CalvertHealth after recent races show how quickly it has grown:
- 2022: nearly $61,000
- 2023: more than $102,000, which nearly doubled the previous high
- 2024: more than $175,000, with more than 1,000 people on hand
- 2026: $187,655
Before last year’s race, CalvertHealth said the 5K had raised more than $600,000 for the Goldberg Center since its start. This year’s figure alone is roughly three times what the event brought in four years ago.
The center is named for the late Dr. Sheldon E. Goldberg, who helped bring coordinated breast care to Calvert County. CalvertHealth’s cancer program is now affiliated with Duke Health, and the hospital said this year’s proceeds will support breast health services for women and men across Southern Maryland.
On the course
Charlie Teeter, 24, was the top overall finisher in 15 minutes, 2.8 seconds.
Dixie’s Divas, a team led by Dixie Miller, was the top fundraising team at $17,000, about 9% of the day’s total.
Erika Mitchell won the event’s Viking cruise giveaway, a package valued at up to $10,000 that was donated by Seven Lands and Seas Travel, Dr. Stephen Peters and Bob Carpenter. CalvertHealth President and CEO Jeremy Bradford also took part, joined by cardiologists Dr. Cassius Belfonte and Dr. Samuel Foster.
Friedman thanked a sponsor list of more than 30 businesses, families and organizations. Among the local names were Constellation’s Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant, Asbury Solomons, the Calvert Marine Museum, the College of Southern Maryland, Cedar Point Federal Credit Union, Sneade’s Ace Home Center, Calvert Internal Medicine Group and Associates in Radiation Medicine.
Organizers had opened registration in July for the Solomons event, which is held each October during Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
The next CalvertHealth Breast Cancer 5K Run/Walk is set for Saturday, Oct. 16, 2027.
