- April 4, 2025
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Mark and Kara Sinclair were among the participants in the Bear Who Care 5K.
Orlando Health was one of the sponsors of the OktoBEARfest 5K Fun Run and Walk, held in Horizon West.
Tad Schmitz addressed the crowd prior to the kickoff of the walk/run.
The Horizon High School Marching Band cheered on the walkers and runners.
The Horizon High School Marching Band drum line kept the beat going.
Runners took off from the corral to start the fun run and walk.
Participants of the children’s run showed their speed.
The crowd went wild when 1-year-old Thea Tran crossed the finish line in the children’s run.
One-year-old Thea Tran received the finishers medal she earned in the children’s run.
Thea Tran, left, 1, and Leilani Tran, 3, were the youngest runners in the OktoBEARfest 5K Fun Run and Walk.
The Jason Bellomo family took part in the Bears Who Care 5K.
Tad Schmitz, left, and Gwen Schmitz, right, congratulated the top 10 finishers in the men’s division.
Tad Schmitz, left, and Gwen Schmitz, right, congratulated the top 10 finishers in the women’s division.
“Kari believed in the power of community,” Tad Schmitz said of his late wife at the start of the seventh annual OktoBEARfest 5K Fun Run and Walk held Saturday, Oct. 19, in Horizon West.
And the community showed up to lend support to the Bears Who Care nonprofit and the family behind it. Tad and Kari Schmitz started the nonprofit in 2008 to support local children who have been affected by an illness, injury, disaster or financial hardship. Kari Schmitz died of cancer in January, and this was the family’s first 5K without her.
Participants received a finisher medal, T-shirt and other items, and children who crossed the finish line were given a medal as well.
After the races, participants enjoyed a morning of activities, including live entertainment, sponsor booths, games, a scavenger hunt and prize giveaways.
