The University of Tennessee Medical Center will host the outreach event "The Man Run for Prostate Cancer Awareness" Saturday, Sept. 6, at Tyson Park. The 5K race will go from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

It is the first event of its kind, and the medical center hopes to make it an annual event, said Jim Ragonese, assistant director of marketing services for UT Medical Center.

"We've gone out into the community and offered prostate cancer screenings for many years," Ragonese said. Many men discover they have early stages of prostate cancer because they participate in the screenings, he said.

Ragonese also stressed the importance of having annual prostate screenings.

The fact that I went to that screening saved my life
-Jack Evans, chairman for "The Man Run" committee"One in six men will have prostate cancer," he said. "If you find out that you have prostate cancer early, you have significantly better chances of surviving."

Jack Evans, chairman for the committee for "The Man Run," found out he had prostate cancer from a free screening provided by the UT Medical Center. Before that he had annual screenings without any symptoms of prostate cancer.

"I had no symptoms," he said. "Don't wait for symptoms. If you do, it could be fatal. The fact that I went to that screening saved my life. These screenings should be an essential part of your health regiment."

The American Cancer Society estimates there will be 186,320 new cases of prostate cancer in 2008, and 28,660 of those cases will be fatal.

The entry fee for the race is $30. Participants can register for the run at www.active.com under the event name "The Man Run Knoxville."

"The Man Run" is being sponsored by the SunTrust Bank of East Tennessee, and event proceeds will fund the UT Medical Center's educational programs for cancer and free prostate cancer screenings for the public.