Outrunning Cancer at the SU2C Color Run

Out of the many clubs at our high school, Stand Up to Cancer has one of the most noble causes: raising money to fight against and research cancer. They hold several events throughout the school year to raise both awareness and money to donate to cancer research. These events include paint night, holiday movie night, and of course, the color run.

This year, approximately fifty runners participated in the event. Although it’s only the second year of the color run, the marathon is a popular event with many people, not just students. The runners ranged from young to old, children to parents, and seasoned runners to people who’ve never seriously ran a mile before. Entry fees for this diverse sea of runners and donations from spectators helped the club raise a large amount of money. All proceeds from the run, after factoring out expenses, are being donated to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital. The hospital treats children with cancer and looks to find cures for a plethora of life-threatening diseases.

The color run is dedicated to the memory of those who have passed away from cancer, as well as people currently fighting the disease. When the race began, runners passed several checkpoints at which volunteers threw colored dust on the runners. At the end of the marathon, family members and longtime friends posed together for pictures which can be found on the club’s website.

This year’s SU2C president, Junior Agata Srodon, believed the event to be a major success. “This year at the color run we had a great turn out, and we raised nearly four thousand dollars. After deducting expenses we are able to donate two thousand dollars to St. Jude’s Research Hospital. We wouldn’t be able to do it without all of our participants and all of our sponsors, therefore a big thank you to them and a big thank you to our advisor Mr. Pastva who organized the event and also shoutout to Maria because the two of us and Pastva put a lot of effort into this event.” Agata is very passionate about the club, which stems from the fact that her mother is a breast cancer survivor.

Veronica Torres, last year’s SU2C vice president, was the mastermind behind the first color run. When asked why she wanted a color run, she responded, “Cancer has affected the lives of so many, including my close friends and family. I wanted to create an event that could bring together our diverse community in an effort to spread awareness and fundraise for the cause. I love running, event planning, and community service. It kinda just came together as a Color Run.”

In the near future, Stand Up to Cancer will be holding a holiday movie night. Proceeds from the movie night will also be used as donations for research against cancer.