Barnabas Health to Hold Family Festival and Kids Races during NJ Marathon Weekend

Barnabas Health, New Jersey's largest hospital and health care system, will hold a Family Festival and Kids Races on Saturday, April 26 from 9 a.m. – noon at the Great Lawn at the Ocean Promenade in Long Branch as part of the Annual Novo Nordisk New Jersey Marathon race weekend. Registration begins on-site at 8:30 a.m.

The fun-filled day of activities will feature kids races, clowns, face painting, carnival games, a bounce house, crafts, Zumba for kids, balloon artists, spin art, entertainment by Mr. Scott the Music Man, The Fun Bus, prizes, refreshments and more. Kids will also have the opportunity to decorate boards to cheer on runners in Sunday's marathon. The Unterberg Children's Hospital at Monmouth Medical Center will also host a teddy bear and doll clinic. Children are encouraged to bring their own stuffed animals and dolls to be evaluated by nurses of the Unterberg Children's Hospital.

Kids Races start at 9 a.m. and include:

• The Toddler Dash for ages 2 to 4
• Kids Fun Race for ages 5 to 8
• Half-Mile Mini-Marathon for ages 9 to 12, with race ending at the official New Jersey Marathon finish line
• "Kids" 1.2 Mile Marathon, for "kids" ages 8 to 99, with prizes

All races are free with an optional donation to on-site local charities including The Valerie Fund Children's Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders at the Unterberg Children's Hospital at Monmouth Medical Center, Family Promise, Bridge of Books, and the Central Jersey Brain Tumor Association. The cost to participate in the Mini Marathon is $15.

The New Jersey Marathon is a three-day celebration of health and wellness held April 25-27. The signature races are held Sunday, April 27. The weekend includes the New Jersey Health & Fitness Expo, the NJ Marathon and Half Marathon, the Shaping NJ 5K, and other family friendly events.

For more information, visit www.njmarathon.org.

About Monmouth Medical Center

Located in Long Branch, N.J., Monmouth Medical Center, a Barnabas Health facility, along with The Unterberg Children's Hospital at Monmouth Medical Center, is one of New Jersey's largest teaching hospitals and has been an affiliate of Philadelphia's Drexel University College of Medicine for more than 40 years. From its earliest days, Monmouth Medical Center has been a leader in surgical advancement and has introduced many technological firsts to the region, including robotic surgery and other minimally invasive techniques. The hospital is routinely recognized by HealthGrades, the nation's largest premier independent health care quality company, for excellence in both emergency medicine and maternity care. U.S. News & World Report has recognized Monmouth as a regional leader in cancer, geriatrics, gynecology, neurology and neurosurgery. For more information on Monmouth Medical Center, visit www.barnabashealth.org/monmouth.

About Barnabas Health

Barnabas Health is the largest not-for-profit integrated health care delivery system in New Jersey and one of the largest in the nation, with more than two million patient visits and delivery of more than 17,600 babies annually. The system includes six acute care hospitals, two children's hospitals, a freestanding behavioral health center, ambulatory care centers, geriatric centers, the state's largest behavioral health network, comprehensive home care and hospice programs, pharmacy services, a medical group and three accountable care organizations. As the second-largest private employer in New Jersey, Barnabas Health includes 18,200 employees and 4,600 physicians – or one-fifth of the actively practicing physicians in New Jersey. Barnabas Health is a proud founding partner of the 2014 Special Olympics, which will take place in New Jersey June 14 to 21. For more information, visit www.BarnabasHealth.org.