‘Hit the Bricks’ relay race raises money for cancer research

Hundreds of Wake Forest students, faculty and staff will run laps around Hearn Plaza on Thursday, Sept. 28, for ‘Hit the Bricks.’ The event will be held from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The eight-hour relay race raises money for cancer research in honor of Brian Piccolo. A final remembrance lap for cancer victims and survivors will be followed by a luminary ceremony in front of Wait Chapel.

Both individuals and teams participate, and the race includes friendly fundraising competition. Hit the Bricks brings Wake Foresters together for a cause that has long been important to the community.

The inaugural Hit the Bricks in 2003 raised nearly $4,000, with 17 teams participating. In 2016, Hit the Bricks met its goal with 118 teams comprised of 1,410 participants running a total of 30,566 laps. The event raised nearly $60,000 to find a cure for cancer.

In 1980, the Brian Piccolo Cancer Research Fund was started by students in memory of Wake Forest’s All-American football player, Brian Piccolo. Piccolo attended Wake Forest in the 1960s, went on to become a running back for the Chicago Bears, and died in 1970 of embryonal cell carcinoma at the age of 26. Hit the Bricks and other student-led events have raised a total of more than $3 million for the fund.

Money raised supports the Comprehensive Cancer Center at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.

For more information about Hit the Bricks and the Brian Piccolo Cancer Research Fund, please visit http://wfuhitthebricks.com.

See video below for highlights from Hit the Bricks 2015: