By Staff
For hard-core runners, Steve's Run is a nice change of pace from the typical road race.
For others, it's a challenge of a lifetime. Either way, the money raised goes to a good cause.
This year, Steve's Run had a record number of 1,144 race finishers, according to Ron Gunn, Director of Wellness Activities at Southwestern Michigan College and Chairman of Steve's Run. What contributed to the great turn out were the nearly 400 race-day registrants.
"I was amazed at how many last-minute registrants we had this year," Gunn explained. "It's by far the most we've ever had. I actually had to turn a few people away who showed up too close to race time." Gunn hopes that next year people will give themselves a little more time to sign up so everyone can participate.
With a record number of participants, Gunn said he hopes to blow away the goals in terms of raising money for cancer research and the Steven Briegel Scholarship Fund. "We couldn't be happier with the turn out. Now, we just need to see the numbers," he said. "It normally takes about two months to get the numbers finalized," Gunn explained. However, he feels strongly that between pledges, donations, wrist band sales, Fire Up signs and registration fees, the number should exceed last year's total of $15,000.
Don Hall, Chairman of the Fire Up signs and a cancer survivor said they received a total of 108 Fire Up signs this year, up slightly from last year's 104 signs. There were a lot of new participants this year - many who may not have known about the Fire Up signs until it was too late, according to Hall. "Hopefully next year, they'll participate in the race again and add a Fire Up sign," he said.
In addition to the money raised, it was a day of accomplishment for many Steve's Run participants. There were more than 30 cancer survivors, ranging in age from 16 to 70, who either walked or ran in the race. Many other cancer survivors were volunteers for Steve's Run.
Accomplishing her own goal of finishing the race and ultimately her incomplete grade at Southwestern Michigan College, Ashley Cooper, a recovered car accident victim, finished the 5k race with a time of 36:48 - a personal best. She and mother, Sherry Bertrand crossed the finish line together placing 427th and 428th out of 464 5k runners. Cooper raised more than $530 for Steve's Run.