A Healthy Challenge to Promote Colorectal Cancer Screening Starting at Age 45 for March Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month in 2023!

For 2023, an ACG tradition continues with the “Ride or Stride for 45” Virtual Challenge! This event brings together the ACG family and GI community to show their commitment to colorectal cancer screening and prevention and highlight age 45 to begin colorectal cancer screening for all average risk adults, as recommended in the updated 2021 ACG Clinical Guidelines on Colorectal Cancer Screening (Shaukat, et al.)

About “Ride or Stride for 45” in 2023

In this virtual event, ACG members, your patients, families and friends are all invited to bike, run or walk 45 miles in March (or 45 minutes per day during the month) to show your support and enthusiasm for preventing colorectal cancer beginning at age 45 for all average-risk adults.

The American College of Gastroenterology urges you to get some exercise, share the message of colorectal cancer prevention, and connect via social media during this monthlong observance. Proceeds of this event will benefit the ACG Institute for Clinical Research & Education.

Your Call-to-Action

  • Put your commitment to colorectal cancer prevention to the test and bike, run or walk 45 miles total in March….OR 45 minutes per day during the month!
  • Celebrate your success and urge your patients, families, and communities to get screened for colorectal cancer starting at age 45.
  • ACG reminds everyone that: Now “45 is the new 50” to start screening for everyone at average risk for colorectal cancer! Your gastroenterologist can find colon polyps early so they can be safely removed and help to prevent colorectal cancers.

How it Works

In this virtual event, you register online and then bike, row, swim, run or walk on your own, take photos in race “swag” (tee shirts, medals and race bibs) and celebrate via social media during March. Don’t forget to log your activity and upload photos on the event webpage.

On social media, please share photos of your activities and tag the College @AmCollegeGastro, and include the hashtags #RideOrStrideFor45 #ColorectalCancerAwarenessMonth.

Register

The event registration is hosted by goneforarun.com and there is a special registration web page to sign up, order a tee shirt and a medal, and download the race bib, plus access a website to share your miles and upload your photos.

Logistics: There is a nominal registration fee of $28. Tee shirts arrive via Fed Ex and the bib can be downloaded. As an option to track your progress, the goneforarun.com site links with your personal data from FitBit, Strava or MapMyRun.


Go the Distance! Virtual 5K for Ride or Stride for 45 Gallery


ACG Peloton Group Ride – More Info Soon!


Race Committee

Tauseef Ali, MD, FACG, Chair ACG Public Relations Committee and Governor for Oklahoma

Aline Charabaty, MD, FACG, ACG Governor for Washington, DC

Dayna S. Early, MD, FACG, Chair, ACG Board of Governors

David A. Greenwald, MD, FACG, ACG Past President

Seth A. Gross, MD, FACG, ACG Trustee

David J. Hass, MD, FACG, ACG Trustee

Millie D. Long, MD, MPH, FACG, Co-Editor-in-Chief, The American Journal of Gastroenterology

Amy S. Oxentenko, MD, FACG, ACG Vice President

Samir A. Shah, MD, FACG, ACG Immediate Past President

Aasma Shaukat, MD, MPH, FACG, ACG Trustee

Renee L. Williams, MD, MHPE, FACG, ACG Trustee

Patrick E. Young, MD, FACG, ACG Trustee


ACG’s Commitment Colorectal Cancer Prevention during Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month

ACG CRC Community Education Toolkit

The ACG’s ongoing commitment to colorectal cancer awareness includes helping physicians educate their patients and communities about the importance of screening. These CRC awareness efforts are highlighted every year during March Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month and include a CRC Community Education Toolkit containing a wealth of resources, key messages, tips, and downloadable materials.

Patient Information: “45 is the New 50” ACG’s New CRC Screening Age

Age 45 is now recommended as the time to start screening for colorectal cancer among all average-risk adults according to 2021 guidelines from the American College of Gastroenterology. Your gastroenterologist can find colon polyps early so they can be safely removed and help to prevent colorectal cancers.

In the United States, colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer, yet it is one of the most preventable types of cancer. It is highly treatable and is often curable when caught early.

The American College of Gastroenterology is dedicated to the early detection and prevention of colorectal cancer. Our experts know that colorectal cancer screening tests can save lives.

For all the facts about colorectal cancer, screening options for patients and recommendations for prevention, visit gi.org/coloncancer.