Hoosiers run for a cause

Hoosiers Outrun Cancer supporters swarmed the last-minute registration table, filling out forms to participate in the sixth annual event Saturday. The pre-registered participant list on the other side of the wall had a woman looking up her race number. Pinned to the back of her shirt was a sign that read, "In Memory of My Joey."\nFamilies, friends, runners, walkers, pets, college students, high school students, teams, kids, clubs, fraternities and sororities all came together to show support and run or walk for a purpose: to raise money for cancer education. \nThe red shirts signified those who had conquered or were still fighting cancer. The blue shirts were worn by volunteers and the white shirts were for supporters and participants. Those who knew someone who had passed away from cancer wore signs that read, "In memory of," and those who knew someone who was battling cancer wore signs saying, "In honor of." Some wore pins memorializing lost loved ones. A toddler wore a sign in commemoration of the family dog that passed away from cancer.\nThe event commenced with a rallying announcement: "Every one of you is a champion. Every one of you is a winner. Thank you for coming out today."\nAfter the race line was filled with participants eagerly waiting to start at the sound of the announcer, he also stated that in six years, nearly $1 million had been raised. \nFirst-time walkers and annual participants came together for one cause. The reasons that brought them, however, were all unique. \n"This is our first year," said Denise Williams, whose mother passed away on Mother's Day in 2004. "We are walking in memory of her and her step-mother who passed away four days \nbefore on the same year."\nWilliam's mother was diagnosed with cancer in February of that same year. Her family had no history of cancer.\n"This was a first-hand experience that we've had with it," Williams said. "It makes it that much more special because our mother was special." \nFrom first-time participants to those who show support yearly, the event was full of personal stories and reasons of what brought them out Saturday morning. Every story beamed with hope and courage. \nMarlene Troyke, a cancer survivor wearing a red shirt, wasn't just walking on her own behalf. She was walking to memorialize Jenny Suhr, her first granddaughter, an IU student who died from cancer in 1999. \n"Sometimes it's hard," Troyke said. "You get through it. We just have to count our blessings."\nKeeping positive in memorializing her granddaughter, Troyke sees the event as therapeutic.\n"You see a lot of smiling faces here," Troyke said.\nGerry Miller has been with the event since the beginning. As a one-mile walk participant and a volunteer in past races, she's now volunteering handing out race shirts. \n"I think it's absolutely wonderful," Miller said. "Cancer affects people from all ages and if we can get this cured ... that'd be a miracle."\nMiller also includes the fact that it brings together the community for a good cause. Her contributions to the event and her volunteer efforts were apparent as she glowed with hope. \n"I've volunteered almost every year," Miller said. "It's a happy occasion."\nMiller wasn't the only one mentioning the aspect of community participation. IU sophomore Lauren Ellis and her sister Amanda Ellis participated in the one-mile walk for the second consecutive year. \nI think it's great that a community like this with students is coming together for this cause, Lauren Ellis said.\n"It's very heart-warming," she added. "You get choked up."\nAmanda and Lauren's grandfather passed away from cancer. Their best friend's mother, too, was a victim. \n"She was like a mother to us," Lauren Ellis said. \n"It kind of hits home," Amanda Ellis said. "So we like to show our support whenever we can."\nThe event concluded at Memorial Stadium with finishing runners shown on the jumbo TV. Participants flooded the field and were given water and fruit upon completion of the race. \nProceeds went to the Bloomington Hospital Foundation's Oclott Center for Cancer Education.