| Fifth annual Pink Ladies 5k is deemed a success |
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| Written by Scott Perdue | |
 Students and community members from around the area all participated in the Pink Ladies 5k run/walk. The entry fee for the race was $15 (or $17 the day of the race), and each participant received a Pink Ladies 5K t-shirt. Also, prizes were awarded for each age group winner and the overall top finisher. In addition, door prizes from the race’s sponsors were raffled off on race day. All proceeds of the race will be donated to Phelps Regional Healthcare Foundation to “increase breast cancer awareness and provide mammograms to women who are underinsured,” said Ashley Mattli, health educator at UMR.  Signs were posted, volunteers were assigned to street corners, and the police set up road blocks to keep the participants going in the right direction, but somewhere along the way, there was a misunderstanding and the runners got off course. Because of this, approximately half of a mile may have been cut out of the course.This is not to say that the race was poorly organized, but the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry. For example, in addition to the course mishap, there were problems in getting the t-shirts ready for the event. The design was submitted to be printed at Key Sport Shop long before the race was to occur. Several problems occurred, including the printer’s inability to correctly spell “annual,” and it led to a massive headache for the race’s organizers. In the end, the misspelled word was blocked out from the final shirt design, rather than fixed.  Chris Garcia was the first participant to cross the finish line, closely followed by Nick Cochran. Many people participated in the race, from stroller-pushing moms and father/son combinations to cross-country superstars and people who just wanted to help out.Junior Matt Goeke ran “because it was for a good cause.” His life has been touched by breast cancer because he has an aunt who is currently battling the disease. When asked about the run itself, Goeke commented “When you feel tired, you know you’ve had a good run.” Another partaker in the event was sophomore Ashlee Abbott, who ran in the race for the same reasons as Goeke. Not only is it for a good cause, but her great aunt is a breast cancer survivor, along with her good friend, Betty Harris. “It’s important for money to go to research to find a cure,” says Abbott. Ashlee’s running partner, her cousin Lindsey, said “it was great to spend time with my cousin while burning a few calories.” Last year, the event helped to raise nearly $3,000 for breast cancer awareness. |
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