Race for the Cure

Last Saturday (May 10th) I had the incredible opportunity to participate in the Susan G. Komen "Race for the Cure" held in downtown Salt Lake City, Utah. Oh sure, it was only a 5k (3.1 miles) race, but the whole experience was unforgettable.

After staying up until about midnight Friday night to load some new tunes onto my iPod, I got up at 6am to get ready and get downtown to the Gateway Mall and find parking. Turned out to be easier than I thought, so I just sat in my car for about 40 minutes until it was time to meet my coworkers in Gateway itself. After waiting for the last stragglers to arrive, we headed towards the starting line to join the masses.

The crowd was huge! An estimated 17,000 survivors and supporters took part in the morning run. As I stepped up towards the huge balloon arch that represented the starting line, I couldn't help but look around at all the enthusiastic faces. Though some looked more somber than others, usually the ones with a "I'm racing in memory of..." tag on their back, the general feeling of the crowd was one of support, encouragement, and purpose.

During the race itself, it was both thrilling, and heart-wrenching, to glance at the tag's fastened to the back of the runner's ahead of me. I quickly noticed that there were two versions: one that was "in memory of" and the other said "racing in celebration of." Perhaps the most exciting part of it all was to see how many pink-shirted survivors there were mixed in with the crowd. Although I found myself focusing on the music from my iPod and trying hard not to crash into someone for the first mile until the crowd began to thin out, I also couldn't help but let my eyes wander from tag to tag. You almost wanted to reach out to each person and say "I'm sorry for your loss" or "Tell your aunt that I wish her the best with her treatments."

I've watched my little sister, Linnea, race in several marathons and I can know better understand why she loves it so much! Not that I think I'll ever be crazy enough to run 26.2 miles (hey, remember in bobsledding we only have to run 50-meters and then jump in the sled!), but I am looking towards doing some more 5ks over the summer.

Overall, the experience was amazing and I am so glad that I took part. And I guess, when it really comes down to it, that is what makes life so incredible, that we all have the power to do something with our lives, to take part in great causes, big or small. So now that you've read my post about Saturday's race, here's my question for you: what are you going to do today to make a difference in the life (or lives) of someone else?

2008 "Race for the Cure"

Every year hundreds of thousands of people gather together for annual Susan G. Komen "Race for the Cure." It is a movement that has inspired hope in women all around the world as millions of dollars are raised to help fund breast cancer research and prevention programs.

And with good cause.

It has been estimated that nearly 10 million from around the world could die from breast cancer in the next 25 years unless a cure is found. And if that isn't startling enough, in 2008 an estimated 182,460 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer. The facts are thought-provoking.

At Team Holm Racing we do our best to use our time and affiliation in such a unique and exciting sport to do as much good as possible. From motivating kids at schools, to speaking at black-tie events, it is an honor and a thrill for us to be able to help out and "give back" to the community.

That being said, we are proud to announce our plan to run in the Salt Lake City leg of the "Race for the Cure." We are excited to take part in this incredible event alongside nearly 16,000 other race participants. The race will begin at 8:30am on Saturday, May 10th, and while it only lasts 5K (or 3.1 miles), we have a feeling that this is something that we will remember for the rest of our lives.

If you would like to help Team Hhttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifolm Racing make an even greater impact in the fight against breast cancer, please click here to make a donation. Whether it is $1 or $1,000, each of us can do what we can to help end this tragic and heart-wrenching condition. Since 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime, each of us most likely know someone close to us who has faced this devastating disease.

Please join Team Holm Racing in supporting the Susan G. Komen "Race for the Cure" movement as we do our part to help end the fear of breast cancer once and for all.