Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure celebrates 21st Annual event
Posted on Oct 23, 2012 in News
The 21st Annual Susan G. Komen North Central Alabama Race for the Cure was held in downtown Birmingham this past Saturday, October 20, 2012.
Thousands of people of all backgrounds and generations gathered in Linn Park to show support for anyone affected by breast cancer.
“My aunt had breast cancer, and she’s currently in remission,” said Anna Kate Kennedy, a freshman marine science major at the University of South Alabama. “I wanted to do this with my family, so I had to make the drive back from Mobile to do this.”
Whether it was for a mother, a sister, an aunt, a friend, a co-worker, or just support for the cause, everyone participating in the event ran or walked for a purpose.
Beginning and ending around the edges of Linn Park, the 5k (approximately 3.1 miles) took its racers up and down 19th and 20th streets, with water stops at both the one and two mile markers.
All racing participants were given a white t-shirt to wear for the event, but all breast cancer survivors wore pink shirts to signify their victory over the disease.
Some teams of people took it a step further, creating their own T-shirts with slogans such as “Rockers for Knockers” or “Big or Small, Save ‘em All.”
“[Some of the slogans] had a lot to do with people’s names,” said Kennedy. “One in particular was ‘Betsy’s Breast Friends.’ I liked that one.”
After the race’s end, many racers gathered in Linn Park for fellowship, trading stories and making new acquaintances. Giant inflatables were provided to help entertain small children.
“The thing I like most about today is that I noticed that everyone came together for one purpose, completely putting race aside,” said 50-year old Dawn Calvert and mother of four. “You just see everyone going up and hugging all those women in pink, and it really lifts your spirits.”
“I like how they dyed the water pink in the fountain at Linn Park,” said Kennedy. “It’s awesome! Plus, pink is my favorite color!”
Whether it was the vast amount of hope displayed by all those people or just an overwhelming amount of pink, there was a wonderful excitement and uplifting mood expressed by the mass of people.
“There comes a time when you heed a certain call when the world must come together as one,” said Kennedy. “That’s gold.”
In 2011, the Race for the Cure raised $1,083,431 that was donated to a local affiliate, and the goal for this year was to raise $1.2 million, according to the race’s official website. Although the official total amount of funds raised has not been released yet, nearly $300,000 of donations had already been raised before the event took place on Saturday.
Anyone who would like to make a donation can still do so by going to komenncalabama.org/make-a-donation.
Russ Timothy
Staff Writer
Russtim@uab.edu