Daily Camera Previews BCH's Heart to Heart 5K

The following article appeared in the September 23, 2024 edition of the Daily Camera. 

Michael Sandrock: DeNucci has a heart for living a healthy lifestyle

When Gina DeNucci was a young runner, she interned at the Pritikin Longevity Center in Downingtown, Pa. There, working with people suffering from chronic heart disease, she saw first-hand the “direct correlation between lifestyle and health” and how changing personal habits can save lives. Tweak your diet and habits, she discovered, and you can change your blood profile, decreasing the markers for heart disease and other illnesses.

Ever since she joined Boulder Community Health 12 years ago, DeNucci, a nurse and the cardiac nurse navigator for the hospital’s Boulder Heart cardiology clinic, has wanted to put on a 5K race to bring the community together and drive home the need for healthy living. Recently, her focus has turned to promoting the Boulder Community Health Foundation’s Heart to Heart Fund, a donor-supported program which provides financial help to Boulder Heart patients by helping them “overcome barriers to accessing care and supporting their quality of life as they face the challenges of a cardiac-related diagnosis.”

Now, thanks to a new partnership with the Boulderthon, DeNucci’s dream is coming to fruition with Sunday’s Boulder Community Health Heart to Heart 5K, starting and finishing in downtown Boulder. The 5K is part of a full Boulderthon weekend (boulderthon.org), which includes a sold-out marathon, half-marathon, 10K and kids run, as well as a three-day expo Friday, Saturday and Sunday on the Pearl Street Mall.

The 5K could get up to 1,600 runners and walkers, a big jump from 2023. The race is drawing a good field of fast runners up front, attracted by prize money for the top finishers. DeNucci said the 5K is for the “everyday athlete; come out and walk, run, skip and move your body.” While the race is not a fundraiser for the Heart to Heart fund, there is an opportunity to donate when registering for the race or at BCH.org/heart2heart. DeNucci hopes the increased visibility coming from the 5K will translate into an infusion of much-needed funds for local cardiac patients.

“The biggest thing is to bring awareness to the importance of heart health and bringing community to BCH and the (Heart to Heart) fund that is at the core of what we use to help patients with barriers,” said DeNucci, who works closely with cardiologists and with Inge McClory, a former top local runner and a physician assistant-certified at Boulder Heart.

Some of the many barriers to sustained cardiac care, DeNucci explained, include medical bills, co-payments for medications and tests, help with transportation costs and visits to dieticians and wellness practitioners such as acupuncturists. Lack of access to follow-up care makes a return to full health difficult. “Heart health is in the lifestyle.”

And running is a big part of that lifestyle, which is why it was nice to stop by the Boulderthon training program on Wednesday and see a dozen college-age runners stretching after an “up-tempo” training run on the Boulderthon course and excitedly talking about their Sunday race plans. Some were experienced runners, and others, like Adeline Foote, will be running their first half marathon this weekend.

“Having a routine, having an actual coach, running with the group is so much better,” said Foote, 20, a Boulder native and student at the University of Colorado Boulder. “We have interesting conversations, and I can run at a faster pace. We have been going 10 miles on Sundays, and I am excited to race.”

That is the kind of attitude DeNucci likes to hear. She was not much older than Foote when she interned at the Pritikin Center.

“It was amazing, and that stuck with me and is when I started my journey to being a health nut. It’s evolved,” said DeNucci, who will be at a booth with fellow Boulder Heart and hospital staff and volunteers at the Boulderthon expo Friday and Saturday, and will be available to answer questions and talk about what it means to live a healthy lifestyle.

Much of it you have likely heard, DeNucci said: “knowing your numbers,” meaning blood pressure, lipid profile, A1C (blood sugar levels) and body mass index; understanding what constitutes a healthful diet; managing stress; sleeping well; social interaction; and movement, as well as regular checkups. (Yes, she’s talking to you.)

DeNucci emphasized that movement does not mean you need to run the Boulderthon or another race; it can be as simple as being mindful of sitting less and walking more and fitting movement into your life whenever possible. “Put it in your calendar,” DeNucci said. “I have an alarm set for 4 a.m. tomorrow. I will be heading to the ‘Rez’ for a long run. You need to make time for yourself.”