Run for Your Health in Birmingham

Alabama is encouraging people of all ages to step up to the starting line on Saturday, Nov. 12, for a 5K race and one-mile fun run/walk in Ensley, a Birmingham neighborhood. The events are organized by Black People Run, Bike & Swim and cosponsored by the AARP state office.

The 5K race costs $35 per person and begins at 8 a.m. The fun run/walk is $20 per person and begins at 9 a.m. Participants will gather at the Bethesda Life Center, 321 19th St., in Ensley. The course is flat, and both runners and walkers are welcome. More than 300 people raced in 2015, and organizers hope to boost the number to 500 this year.

Nearly 1 in 4 Alabamians are obese, a condition linked to chronic health problems such as heart disease, diabetes and stroke.

For more information or to register, go to 5katthejunction.org.