Ochsner Back To Football 5K To Open Up New Orleans Saints 2012 NFL Season

The New Orleans Saints 2012 NFL season will be getting off to a running start - literally. The Sept. 8 matchup between the Saints and the Washington Redskins will be preceded by the Ochsner Back To Football 5K, a 5K race to benefit the 2013 New Orleans Super Bowl XLVII Host Committee.

The 2012 NFL season starts Sept. 5, with the defending Super Bowl Champion New York Giants squaring off against the Dallas Cowboys. The season will end with the 2013 Super Bowl to be played in New Orleans.

The introduction and announcement of the Ochsner Back to Football 5K is a unique and festive way to kick off the 2012 Saints season and illustrate our excitement for football, the Saints' commitment to healthcare and our long-standing partnership with Ochsner, said Rita Benson LeBlanc, owner and vice chairwoman of the New Orleans Saints. The journey to Super Bowl XLVII fittingly will begin in Champions Square and end at the 50-yard line of the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. We encourage everyone to come out and be a part of the celebration and get the season off on the right foot.

The Saints are partnering with the Competitor Group, Inc., a lifestyle sports media and event entertainment company, to bring the Ochsner Back To Football 5K to New Orleans. The race is named for the Ochsner Health System, based in New Orleans.

The football franchise announced the Ochsner Back To Football 5K during a news conference Tuesday.

The run will start in Champions Square, a 121,000-square-foot outdoor venue adjacent to the New Orleans Superdome that opened in 2010, and end at the 50-yard line of the Superdome.

A post-race party with live entertainment will follow as Oschsner Back To Football 5K participants return to Champions Square. All participants will receive a Saints 5K running shirt.

Ochsner is committed to the health and wellness of our city, said Warner Thomas, president and chief operating officer of Ochsner Health System. We are proud to team up with our community partner, the New Orleans Saints, on an exciting event that promotes healthy activity that is accessible to the community.

Besides the 5K, the kickoff to the Saints' 2012 season will include an NFL 'Play 60' mile fun run for kids.

The 5K starts at 7:30 a.m. local time on Sept. 8, while the fun run gets underway at 9 a.m. Both races have a 90-minute time limit.

The Ochsner Back to Football 5k is a great event to bring Saints fans together to celebrate the 2012-2013 football season, leading up to Super Bowl XLVII - New Orleans' Perfect 10th Super Bowl, said Jay Cicero, Super Bowl Host Committee executive director and CEO of the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation. The Super Bowl XLVII Host Committee thanks Ochsner and the New Orleans Saints for their generosity in selecting us as a benefactor.

The 2013 Super Bowl, to be played at the Superdome, will mark the 10^th time New Orleans has hosted the NFL's championship game.