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Students Join Thousands to Race Against Cancer



The Multnomah running team -- Zac Anderson, Kelly Harrington, Kelly Young, Collin Babcock and Matt Rensi -- at the
Race for the Cure on Sept. 23.
--Zac Anderson, photo

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Multnomah Bible College students joined close to 48,000 participants in this year's Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. The event, held Sept. 23, was designed to aid in the fight against breast cancer.

Sophomore Kelly Harrington said the crisp morning air greeted runners who knew their purpose. "A sea of pink in downtown Portland -- you definitely know something's going on," he said.

The 5-kilometer race had so many participants that after it began, MBC's running team, including Harrington, took about two minutes to reach the starting line.

Freshman Matt Rensi said the MBC team had to run on the fringes of the crowd to get past other runners. "We're jumping over fire hydrants and just going for it," he said. For the first mile-and-a-half, they passed everyone in sight.

The route, located on the western side of Portland, started at Naito Parkway and Taylor Street, looped around Broadway Boulevard, and then finished at Naito Parkway's intersection with Oak Street.

Harrington said every 400 yards, groups of high school cheerleaders urged the runners onward.

Heather Height, a freshman whose grandmother survived cancer, said she was encouraged by the number of people at the race.

Volunteer coordinator Lori Kresse said more than 1,100 volunteers were at this year's event, including 500 disparate groups.

Toward the end of the race, MBC's running group dropped back in the pack. "I'm a winner in my heart," senior Zac Anderson said.

After the race, participants moved to the adjacent waterfront where they enjoyed live music and sampled free products from such companies as New Balance, Sherman, Yoplait and Starbucks.

The Race for the Cure, held annually for nearly 25 years, has become the world's largest series of 5-kilometer runs and walks, with more than 1 million participants. Race manager Kyle Camberg said he and his staff were confident this year's record fundraising goal of $3 million would be met.

The Komen organization was founded in 1982 when a dying Susan Komen made her sister, Nancy Brinker, promise to try to end breast cancer. The organization has since raised more than $1 billion and has become the largest grassroots network of breast cancer survivors and activists in the world, according to the Komen Web site.

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