Get your walking shoes—and maybe a tissue—ready. The 2025 Lubbock Heart Walk is making its much-anticipated return to the Texas Tech campus this fall, bringing a wave of community spirit, heart health awareness, and personal stories that hit close to home.
When is the Walk?
Set for Saturday, September 20 at the Frazier Alumni Pavilion, this year’s event features two passionate co-chairmen: Chris Cook and Dr. Scott Shurmur. Both are Red Raiders at heart—and both are stepping up for very personal reasons.
About Chris Cook
Chris Cook, a TTU assistant professor and PR pro, has seen the effects of heart disease in his own family.
“We all know someone who’s been affected. We’ve shed tears and buried friends. But involvement—whether you donate, volunteer, or just walk—makes a difference.”
About Dr. Scott Shurmur
Dr. Shurmur, a cardiologist and department chair at Texas Tech Health Sciences Center, has spent years championing cardiovascular prevention. He’s also the guy who helped nix Lubbock’s indoor smoking exemptions for places like bingo halls. This isn’t just a walk for him—it’s a mission.
The walk is more than a 5K around the Tech campus. It’s a key part of the American Heart Association’s Nation of Lifesavers initiative, a bold plan to double cardiac arrest survival rates by 2030. CPR saves lives—but only if someone nearby knows how to do it.
Bailey Butler, AHA’s local development director, says it best:…