Superheroes came out of the woodwork during the Joint Base Lewis-McChord Nurses 5K run and 2K walk in honor of National Nurses' Week. The run took place May 10 and more than 300 runners participated, some donning superhero costumes in support of National Nurses' week.

"Nurses are heroes. They take care of our Soldiers so they can come home to their Families," Maj. Sara Rush, the chairman of the Nurses' Week committee, said. "We are the ones on the front lines taking care of them and getting them home."

This year's attendance is nearly double that of last year, which was estimated at 150 for 2011. Despite the major increase in participants, the run event went smoothly, minus one small issue - the runners went the wrong way. A missed turn sent some runners along the wrong route, making the 5K run into a 7K run, but most crossed the finish line smiling anyway.

"I think the runs over in Iraq were a lot easier to plan," Capt. Sara Los, chairman of the run event and a nurse in Madigan's Emergency Department, said in jest. "There were fewer people at them."

A number of units attended the run and used the event as their morning physical training session. Those units warmed up with sit-ups, push-ups and jumping jacks before lining up to take on the course. Starting at the ammo depot on base, the run included pavement, dirt and gravel; eight minor turns, and a loop to finish where the run started.

In the end, the men's overall winner for the 5K run was Pfc. Corey Sigmund from the 593rd Sustainment Brigade. The women's overall winner was Ashley

Densmore. More than 25 door prizes, including $100, were given out to participants thanks to some of the many sponsors of the event.

"The biggest success of the week was the run. We wanted all of JBLM to be a part of it, so we are pretty excited to see so many other Soldiers out here supporting the event," Rush said.

In addition to the run, Nurses' Week featured free massages for nurses, a Zumba class, and a daily continuing education course that provided CE credits. The week began with a ceremony featuring guest speaker Linda Casey, a retired Army colonel and nurse for more than 40 years. She provided a historical perspective of the evolution of nursing, while the May 11 closing ceremony speaker, 1st Lt. Nicole Evans, ended Nurses' Week with her vision for the future of nursing.

According to the American Nurses Association, President Ronald Reagan signed a proclamation in 1982 establishing May 6 as National Recognition Day for Nurses. In 1990, the ANA expanded the events to a week from May 6 to May 12, which coincides with Florence Nightingale's birthday. Nightingale is considered the founder of modern nursing.