More than 10,000 Louisville and Southern Indiana residents are expected to lace up their sneakers in support of the American Heart Association’s Kentuckiana Heart Walk on Saturday, September 20. The annual event, which hopes to raise a record $1.25 Million to fight heart disease and stroke – America’s No. 1 and No. 4 killers – begins at 9:00 am. Kentucky and Southern Indiana walkers will start at Waterfront Park and travel together through downtown Louisville.

The non-competitive, 1- to 3-mile walk includes teams of employees from local companies, along with friends, family members and survivors of all ages. Attendees will have the opportunity to remember survivors and loved ones lost to heart disease and stroke through a special memorial wall. The event will also include a kid’s zone, games, selfie station, music and heart-healthy snacks.

The Kentuckiana Heart Walk is a component of the My Heart. My Life. behavior platform, the American Heart Association’s groundbreaking national movement that calls on all Americans to embrace an overall healthier lifestyle in order to improve cardiovascular health. This platform is an important component of the American Heart Association’s sweeping national goal: to improve the cardiovascular health of all Americans by 20 percent and to reduce deaths from cardiovascular disease and stroke by 20 percent by the year 2020.

Nearly 70 percent of Americans do not engage in regular physical activity. This inactivity doubles the risk of heart disease –which is largely preventable through a healthy lifestyle.

Through events like the Kentuckiana Heart Walk, the American Heart Association is able to provide ongoing preventative education efforts, and invest millions of dollars in cardiovascular research both in Kentucky and Indiana.

The My Heart. My Life. healthy behavior platform is nationally sponsored by SUBWAY®, and locally sponsored by Kindred Healthcare.