Fresno State Athletics
Student Athletes `Race For A Cure'
10/29/2008 12:00:00 AM | General
Oct. 29, 2008
FRESNO, Calif. - Fresno State student-athletes took some time away from training for their sports last weekend (Saturday, Oct. 25) as they participated in and helped out at the 10th Annual Central Valley Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in Fresno.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Susan G. Komen celebrates its 25th Anniversary of the race, an event that takes place all around the world and has involved more than one million participants. This year's race in Fresno celebrated the 10th race ran by the Central Valley Komen Center.
The race began Saturday morning with a men's 5K at 7:30 a.m. followed by the women's 5K at 8 a.m. At the conclusion of the morning race award's ceremony, a Survivor recognition ceremony took place at 9:30 a.m. The co-ed walk then began at 10:30 a.m. followed by the kids walk at 11:30 a.m.
The Fresno State women's lacrosse team participated in the walk themselves, walking three miles as a team and then cheering on the runners afterwards.
"We intentionally came in last in the morning race so anyone that wanted to race could finish before us," said head lacrosse coach Sue Behme. "We wanted the participants to know we were supporting them from behind instead of being in front as an athlete. It was fun. We had a good time."
Senior Aja Scheuber of the women's lacrosse team said the team walked next to some participants who had paper pinned to their backs with the names of survivors or victims that they were running for.
"You don't realize how many people breast cancer has affected until you participate in something like the Race for a Cure," Scheuber said. "It is great that there is an organization like Susan B. Komen that has dedicated years to finding a cure."
Other student-athletes and coaches from men's and women's basketball, men's and women's tennis, men's and women's golf and men's and women's track and field, along with lacrosse and softball, helped pass out flyers relating to cancer awareness, passed out water to runners/walkers along the course and cheered on participants at the finish line.
"The whole team was there to cheer on the runners," said sophomore softball pitcher Ashley Cox. "Even though I am from Clovis I had never been to the event before but it was a great experience watching everyone run through the finish line. It was really cool because people of all ages were participating and it was an eye-opener to see how passionate the participants were, either being survivors or there in support of one or someone they knew that was affected."
The Race for the Cure began in Dallas, Texas in 1983 and has since moved to all 50 states and three countries. For more information on Susan G. Komen of the Central Valley and how you can help find a cure for breast cancer, please log on to: http://www.komencentralvalley.org/index.html.
"Join the State - Fresno State"- The Bulldogs begin the 2009 season on Feb. 6 vs. Wisconsin in the Cathedral City Kick-Off hosted by Oregon State in Cathedral City, Calif., at 10:30 a.m.
