2026 I ❤️ Collard Greens 5K & Fitness Extravaganza Recap
A powerful day of movement, nutrition, culture, and community brought hundreds together in St. Petersburg to celebrate healthy living and advance the fight against type 2 diabetes.
The 2026 I ❤️ Collard Greens 5K & Fitness Extravaganza was more than a race. It was a celebration of culture, movement, and healthier living. Families, runners, walkers, community partners, and local leaders came together for a day designed to make wellness feel accessible, welcoming, and fun.
Through fitness, food, education, and engagement, the event helped advance Smart Health Initiatives’ mission to prevent type 2 diabetes by meeting people where they are and connecting them to real tools for change.
Form a Team and Raise Funds for the Cause!
Help Us Power the Fit Futures Initiative
Too many kids across Tampa Bay lack access to safe, supportive spaces to get active, and the impact is real. Type 2 diabetes, once rare in children, is now rising fast, with alarming speed.
Fit Futures is here to change that.
Through monthly run clinics, mentoring, nutrition support, and access to local races, we’re helping kids build endurance, confidence, and healthy habits for life.
Your Support Makes It Happen:
Form a team. Raise funds. Help us:
- Provide running shoes and race entries
- Fund community-based run coaches
- Reach more kids across Tampa Bay
Every dollar moves a child off the sidelines and onto a path toward lifelong wellness.
👉 [Start a Team] or [Donate Now]
Let’s build a healthier future — one mile at a time.
Fit Futures is proudly supported by a dynamic collaboration of community leaders and organizations, including Black Girls Run, Tampa Parks & Recreation, Tampa Bay Collard Greens Festival, and the American Diabetes Association's (Project Power Program). Together, they are helping to lead and sustain this year-round initiative to build a healthier future for our youth.