Race for a Cure hailed as success in numbers

INDIANAPOLIS -- As announcers broadcast the approaching start of the race over the speakers, thousands of runners and walkers began to line up. Soon, the sea of people began to flood New York Street, some streaming up the embankment on the side. The mass of participants was awe-inspiring, stretching over a half-mile from Blackford Street past University Boulevard. A group of women walked through the tunnel built over the street between two buildings. Peering across the massive crowd, one woman began to skip down the passageway. \n"Look at all the people!" she shrieked with delight.\nThe 2003 Komen Indianapolis Race for the Cure, held at the IU-Purdue University Indianapolis campus Saturday morning, was a real lesson in numbers. Part of a series of races held nationwide to raise support for breast cancer awareness, the size of the event has grown over the years. The number of people present at this particular race, including the number of survivors dressed in pink, proved to many the importance of breast cancer research and education in Indiana. \n"The people and the turnout were exceptional," said IU graduate student Jason Karp, who finished seventh in the race. "I think it really speaks volumes for how many people are affected by breast cancer. The majority of the people who were there probably never run any other races throughout the year. This is their one day to be a part of something like this."\nCoordinators of the race had anticipated 32,000 participants. They were not expecting the estimated 39,000 people who registered for the race. T-shirts were snatched up, entry numbers assigned, until finally registration assistants ran out. They began hand-writing entry numbers on blank papers so that each new participant could still pin a number on his shirt.\nSince its inception in Dallas, Texas, in 1983, the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation Race for the Cure Series has not only grown in numbers of participants -- it has also expanded into something more like a festival than a race.\n"With the toll breast cancer has taken on so many people, I think it's a great thing that this has turned into such a huge deal," said Teeda Suwannetr, IU president of Zeta Tau Alpha, a sorority that adopted the Komen Foundation as its national charity. "Not only is this spreading the awareness of breast cancer, but it's also a wonderful celebration in support of the men and women who survived and are currently fighting the battle." \nBetween the parking lot and the starting line tents and booths sprang up, featuring merchandise and food items from sponsors like Yoplait, Starbucks and The Finish Line. Participants also had the opportunity to have their picture taken with a milk mustache at the Got Milk? booth or to bid on items at a silent auction.\nWhile songs like "YMCA" and "Ice, Ice Baby" sprang from nearby speakers, children tottered through the pink balloon arch toward their parents. Aside from a few loose balloons and two television news helicopters, the sky was clear. As participants passed the finish line, amid cheers and clapping, they could not keep the smiles off their faces.\n"There was really great spirit today," said IU graduate student Anne Arici. "People came together in a really neat way"