The Kaiser Permanente Women’s Fitness Festival – the largest celebration of women’s health in the region – takes place Sunday morning outside the State Capitol in downtown Sacramento. The festival begins at 8 a.m. with a 5k run/walk that puts some 4,100 women on a scenic course through downtown and Midtown and past iconic landmarks such as Sutter’s Fort. Following the run/walk, participants will enjoy a comprehensive Health Expo that includes the Thrive Pavilion, where dozens of Kaiser Permanente physicians and employees will offer information and tips about health education, sports medicine, breast cancer, and screenings for blood pressure and body composition, among other services – all

The 10-year anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks is coming up, and throughout the country there will be memorials honoring the dead, but Sacramento firefighters ask that locals take the opportunity to come out and run a 5K race for a good cause. Through a partnership between various Sacramento area Fire Departments, the Sacramento Police Department, the Sheriff’s Department and more than 2,000 local volunteers, a 5K run/walk has been organized as an addition to their third annual 9/11 Memorial Climb, in which 343 firefighters – the number of New York firefighters killed on 9/11 – climb the Renaissance Tower in downtown Sacramento to honor fallen firefighters. “It’s very personal for the f

4,500 women will race in the Kaiser Women’s Fitness Festival benefiting WEAVE on Sunday, June 5th to raise awareness about domestic violence and sexual assault. Now in its seventh year, the event is the largest women’s-only run in the region and runners travel from the Bay Area and the central valley to compete. WEAVE needs volunteers! Sign up now! All volunteers are required to attend a Mandatory Volunteer Training on Wednesday, June 1st from 5:30 - 6:30 PM at WEAVE. Volunteer shifts run in 3 – 5 hour blocks from Thursday, June 2nd to Sunday, June 5th. Questions? Contact Ashley. In full disclosure, this article was written by a WEAVE employee in the hopes of spreading the word far and

4,500 women will race in the Kaiser Women’s Fitness Festival benefiting WEAVE on Sunday, June 5th to raise awareness about domestic violence and sexual assault. Now in its seventh year, the event is the largest women’s-only run in the region and runners travel from the Bay Area and the central valley to compete. WEAVE needs volunteers! Sign up now! All volunteers are required to attend a Mandatory Volunteer Training on Wednesday, June 1st from 5:30 - 6:30 PM at WEAVE. Volunteer shifts run in 3 – 5 hour blocks from Thursday, June 2nd to Sunday, June 5th. Questions? Contact Ashley. In full disclosure, this article was written by a WEAVE employee in the hopes of spreading the word far and

The first annual Fit Crawl on Saturday had 38 "crawlers" ride bicycles to five locations for a 20-minute preview of different fitness methods. Downtown locations included Pipeworks for rock climbing, Fleet Feet to learn about proper running shoes and technique, Ultimate Fitness for in-ring training and bag work, Asha Yoga to try the styles of yoga and Bodytribe, for a fresh take on fitness training. The Crawl was put on by the California Task Force on Youth and Workplace Wellness, and sponsored by PepsiCo.  The $35 ticket included bike rental, loaned from Bikes and Bites.  The Wellness Task Force, in existence since 2002, focuses on fitness and nutrition in schools and the workplace. Exe

Sacramento retailers are still feeling the bitter sting of the recession this holiday season. Local merchants selling everything from kids' snowshoes to William Shatner's first album are mostly reporting decreased sales — although some say 2009 holiday sales haven't been as dire as predicted. "I think the holiday season will be a disappointment to most merchants," said Ed Castro, who owns Ed's Threads at 1125 21st St. "I'm not shooting for the moon, so I'm not going to be disappointed." With the country's economy in its third year of recession, retailers operating downtown and throughout the central city are struggling the same as retailers elsewhere. Industry-wide, holiday retail sale