Mini-Marathon for cancer planned September 2006

Early Wednesday morning, Joel Sauer rode his bike more than 26 miles around the IU campus. Sauer was not on a joy ride but instead was measuring a course for the IU student group Circle of Life's Cancer Scholarship Mini-Marathon to be held more than a year from now, September 2006. \nAfter going through the route twice, he pinpointed the 13.1 mile course down to an error within one-hundredth of a mile, the preciseness required for the course to be officially sanctioned by the USA Track and Field Association. \n"It's a unique course because it's almost entirely based on a college campus, and IU is a beautiful campus," Sauer said. "In the fall it's going to be a really nice course."\nOnce the measurements are sent in and certified by the USATF, any records set on the course will be official and participants can use their race times to qualify for other races. According to Sauer, certification provides peace of mind to runners who want to know exactly how fast and far they have run. \n"It is very important when runners and walkers do something of that distance that they know they are on an accurately measured course," he said.\nIU Circle of Life President and junior Kevin MacCauley, a runner himself, is excited to be using a road race to raise money for a cancer scholarship. The scholarship will be a full-ride to any IU campus and will be awarded to an Indiana high school student who is also a cancer survivor.\nUnlike most scholarships for cancer survivors that come in smaller denominations, this scholarship will be one of the largest in the nation available to them. MacCauley believes their event will not take away from already established area races such as Hoosiers Outrun Cancer. \nInstead, he said that "13.1 miles will attract people that are interested in running and competition and excitement, so the other events in Bloomington will feed into our event and serve as a stepping stone."\nDirector of Circle of Life's Finance Committee Myles Grote sees the group developing into an organization that has a considerable impact on the cancer community. \n"In the future we hope to have enough money to provide money to other charities too and to be a charitable fundraiser," he said.\nGrote and Circle of Life are searching for funding from private donations and corporate sponsors for their scholarship fund to supplement the fund they are currently establishing as an endowment within the IU Foundation.\nCirlce of Life has hired Ken Long and Associates Event Management Company out of Indianapolis to do the timing and handle all the volunteers needed for the race. According to MacCauley, Circle of Life will hold a press conference in the fall to reveal the course route and to, "announce guest speakers, sponsors, and provide an opportunity for people to learn about and join Circle of Life."\nCourse certifier Sauer knows how much work a major road race requires as he is the president and race director of the Indianapolis Marathon, whose proceeds benefit the charity KIDS Inc. He emphasized the importance of the little things.\n"A lot of time and energy is put into the details that a lot of people won't even notice unless it's not there, like T-shirts, awards, port-a-johns on the course," he said. \nSauer said he admires the foresight and planning Circle of Life has already demonstrated.\n"I really applaud the organization on getting the course certified and taking the time to do it because it will benefit all the runners," he said.