1,500 race to support cancer survivors

Although it was early, support for the runners at the IU Mini Marathon and 5K on Saturday was not lacking, from the spectators along the course to Miss IU Jaclyn Fenwick volunteering at registration.

“It was a great crowd,” junior and 5K runner Jaclyn Tolliver said. “There were so many people cheering you on. It kept me going.”

Despite the biting wind and hilly course, about 1,500 runners participated in the event to support the Bill Z. Littlefield Scholarship for Survivors.

The scholarship fund is for students attending IU in financial need who have survived cancer, said co-coordinator of the race and senior Sarah Freeman.

“This is just one of the fellow student outreach organizations,” Freeman said. “It’s great that it benefits IU students and families affected by cancer.”

Tolliver said she was drawn to the event for that reason.

“I think it’s awesome when the money goes to help others,” Tolliver said. “That’s the good thing about this campus, when we try to raise money for others.”

For junior and 5K runner Scott Fornek, the race is personal.

“I was diagnosed with leukemia last year,” Fornek said. “I decided to do it when I heard about the cause.”

Other runners made the event a family affair despite collegiate affiliations, such as Purdue student Liz Eichinger and her father Doug Eichinger.

“Running a 5K is something I always wanted to do,” Eichinger said. “It’s great to do it with my dad.”

Sporting a Mini Marathon T-shirt with the classic cream and crimson was a strange feeling, Eichinger said.

“My parents live here,” she said. “It’s interesting wearing IU colors. I don’t think I will wear them again.”

This duo was not an exception, Fenwick said.

“I’ve seen a lot of three-generation families running together, like grandmother, mother and daughter,” Fenwick said. “I think it’s a great thing because there are not many family-oriented events on campus.”
 
This was the sixth running of the IU Mini Marathon and 5K, but the first year for the event to be presented by the IU Alumni Association.

“We have a lot of runners in the Alumni Association,” said executive director of the IU Alumni Association JT Forbes. “It’s nice to promote wellness with this event. We have a strong program here with this race, and it’s great to help the community and the public.”

The race also builds spirit for IU because the course runs through campus, said Alumni Association Department Secretary for Outreach Jamie Hunte.

“The course is so beautiful because runners get to run through the Arboretum and the Sample Gates,” Hunte said. “It’s a Bloomington tradition.”

Runners for the 5K Lauren Johnson and Crystal Quillan from Central Michigan University said they enjoyed the scenery.

“It was really pretty,” Johnson said. “It’s one of the most beautiful campuses I’ve seen. I would do it again.”

Along with the course comes a challenge: the hills.

“The course was really hilly, but they did a good job of breaking it up so that the race was easy to manage,” said runner and IU graduate student Wendi Robinson.

Despite the challenging course, Robinson was the first female to finish the 13.1 miles and completed the race with her personal best time.

“I’m running the marathon in Indianapolis in the fall and did track in high school,” Robinson said. “So this was just a tune-up. It’s great that the funds are supporting such a nice cause.”

The race raised more than $40,000 from registration income alone for the scholarship fund.

“I would love to see the race grow in future years,” Hunte said. “It was great to be a part of it because Bloomington has so much to offer. The event does a wonderful job of bringing alumni, the general public and current students together.”