Participant's in last year's Cupid's Chase started out at the Lake Arthur Golf Course in Franklin Township. This year's event, which benefits the Butler region of a nonprofit charity supporting people with disabilities, has registered 112 participants so far for Saturday's race. Submitted Photo

Saturday’s Cupid’s Chase 5K Run might do a heart good in more ways than one.

In addition to the aerobic benefits for that vital organ, the race which starts at 10 a.m. along Isle Road at the Lake Arthur Golf Club in Franklin Township might also benefit a racer’s love life.

Tim Hawk, the executive director of Community Options Inc. Butler Region, the race’s sponsor, said people who registered in advance for the race are given their choice of a red or a white T-shirt. Those choosing a red T-shirt indicate they are spoken for romantically while those picking a white T-shirt are indicating they are available.

All this ties into the holiday theme of the race, Hawk said. “The anniversary of the founding of Community Options was Feb. 9, 1989,” he said. “We also have the race on the Saturday closest to Valentine’s Day. So we decided to make it romantic and call it Cupid’s Chase.”

Hawk said fostering relationships is just a side effect of the race’s main goal: raising money for the charity’s mission to provide housing and employment services to individuals with disabilities, primarily intellectual disabilities, autism or behavioral health concerns. The Butler region also provides group homes for 20 individuals.

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