Step Up

SAT 10/2

Running or walking 3.1 miles isn’t that hard. It’s not as hard as, say, undergoing
chemotherapy and radiation treatments, and perhaps losing one or both of your
breasts. And this weekend, running 3.1 miles can help lessen the odds that you
or someone you know will ever have to hang up their sneakers because they’ve
got breast cancer. Last year, more than 25,000 people participated in the 13th
annual Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation Houston Race for the Cure, causing
overflow at its Galleria-area location. So this year, it’s moving to downtown,
starting on Bagby and finishing in Eleanor Tinsley Park. Events also include
a survivor celebration and an awards ceremony, as well as the releasing of “memorial
birds,” each commemorating a life lost to breast cancer.

Pledging and sponsorship opportunities abound, even if you don’t want to run.
But should you be tempted to spend your weekend on the couch, remember this:
You could reduce your own risk of cancer by leading a healthy, active life.
Take the first step at 7:45 a.m. Saturday, October 2. Bagby between Lamar and
Dallas. For information and registration, call 713-783-9188 or visit www.komen-houston.org.
$10.50 to $31. — Julia Ramey

Showboating

THU 9/30

A boat may not be on your list of things to buy when you make it really freaking
rich, but if you watch any hip-hop video, you’ll see that to be a true playa,
you need to yacht it, yo. Start your quest for the perfect floating ride this
week at the Houston International In-the-Water Boat Show. Rather than gawking
at vessels in a huge convention hall, you can see these beauties in their natural
element at the Watergate Yachting Center in Clear Lake. Scope out everything
from bay, sail and power boats, to massive luxury yachts that would make Jay-Z
proud, to a “flying boat,” which can soar up to 10,000 feet in the air and speed
at 50 miles per hour in the water. Show runs from Thursday, September 30, through
Sunday, October 3. 1500 Marina Bay Drive. For information and a full schedule,
call 713-526-6361 or visit www.houstonboatshows.com.
$3 to $7. — Steven Devadanam