By the end of the 2012 running season, I will have run 80 races (mostly 5ks but also several longer races) and Northeast Delta Dental will have been the financial sponsor for about the same number of races, from large well known races such as the Mount Washington Road Race, to Race Series such as the Capital Area Race Series (CARS) and the Millennium Series, to all sorts of smaller but just as compelling community races that generally raise money for great not for profit organizations or charities. Why? Primarily because running is the purest form of sport and fitness, a great way to enhance wellness in the community, the camaraderie among runners, and it enables Northeast Delta Dental to reach citizens with an oral health message. Similar to running as a road to wellness, without good oral health, one cannot have good overall health. You cannot separate your mouth from your body and have holistic health — your mouth is your portal, and there is so much science out there documenting the dental/medical systemic connections. The running community, whether elite runners or recreational runners such as myself, are in tune to wellness, which facilitates their receptivity to the oral health message. Because of the economy and the Affordable Care Act, dental benefits are being de-coupled from the small employer, so many citizens, including runners, are left without group dental coverage. Thus, road races become a vehicle to deliver the oral health message. That’s a business decision and strategy. But quite candidly, even if it made no business sense, I would be running in two road races every weekend, regardless, to help me deal with stress, to keep well, to keep my weight in line, and to enjoy the camaraderie of other runners, a great community of people