Participants in a previous Hope Starts Here Challenge get ready for one of the many different outdoor activities that take place during the event, sponsored by IncredibleBank and Northern Michigan University. Proceeds from the event benefit the Upper Michigan Brain Tumor Center. (Photo courtesy of UMBTC)

MARQUETTE — IncredibleBank and Northern Michigan University are working together to raise money for the Upper Michigan Brain Tumor Center with the Hope Starts Here Challenge, taking place June 11.

The Hope Starts Here Challenge consists of several different outdoor athletic activities, including a half-marathon, 10 mile mountain bike race, 10k and 5k runs, a leisure walk and much, much more. The challenge kicks off at 8 a.m. with the half-marathon and 31k challenge. Subsequent events will start shortly after, with the final event beginning at 10:15 a.m.

The 2022 version of the Hope Starts Here Challenge will be taking place at a new location as well, NMU’s own Superior Dome. All of the races will start, and end, at the Superior Dome. There will also be an awards ceremony and picnic on-site after all of the activities wrap up.

The day before the event, participants are encouraged to stop by IncredibleBank at 1101 North Third Street in Marquette for the pre-event expo from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. where participants can pick up their t-shirts and bibs.

This year marks a special occasion as the challenge returns to being an in-person event after the last two years took place virtually due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Registration for the events is now open, and will continue until June 9. Each event has a registration cost, all of which can be found on www.hopestartshere.org. If you would like to register for your selected event early, you can save $10 on the registration fees. Those who are unable to attend can visit the website to learn how they can participate in the challenge virtually.

All benefits go to the UMBTC, a collaborative organization with cooperation from UP-Health Systems, the Superior Health Foundation and NMU. The organization’s mission is “to empower patients and families through advocacy, education, treatment and research.”

The UMBTC works to understand the “how” of brain cancer and aims to create new, less-invasive treatments for the disease while improving outcomes for those diagnosed with brain tumors. They also allow NMU medical students, real-world, hands-on research with professionals in their field. The students work as a “student organization that advocates on behalf of cancer patients and their families through fundraisers, volunteering, and the ChemoCare basket program.”

More information about the UMBTC, including descriptions of some of their past and current research projects, can be found online at www.nmu.edu/umbtc.