20 Years of Saving Lives Celebrated at 2011 Orange County Race for the Cure

A virtual river of pink rushed through Fashion Island today as more than 30,000 attendees joined forces for the 20th Annual Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure.

We expect to break the $3.1 million goal, topping last year’s record $3 million while continuing to fundraise through Oct. 31, in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

 

Of the registered participants, approximately 1,700 were breast cancer survivors and the rest enthusiastic supporters, many of whom were racing for a loved one affected by breast cancer.

Our Survivors walking to the Survivor Pavillion

There were 790 teams, the largest being Bank of America Merrill Lynch US Trust with 590 team members. An incredible 2,000 volunteers helped at the Wellness Expo booths, water stations and on the course.

Wellness Expo

In honor of the milestone year, Mehmet Oz, M.D. (Dr. Oz), best-selling author and two-time Daytime Emmy Award-winning host of The Dr. Oz Show (ABC7 weekdays at 3 p.m.), addressed the thousands of Race attendees during the breast cancer Survivor Tribute.

Dr. Oz with a Survivor

Our first 5K Race of the day winner was Stephen Tippett of Mission Viejo who crossed the finish line at 17:12; Patrick Boivin of Lake Forest won the 9:45 5K with a time of 15:44. Top finishers of the breast cancer survivors were Brenda Edgell of Lake Forest for the 7:30 5K with a time of 24:29; and Michelle Lewis of Newport Beach for the 9:45 5K with a time of 29:25.

 

A hallmark of each Race is the Survivor Tribute, where breast cancer survivors are recognized for their fight against and triumph over the disease at a special ceremony in their honor. The Komen Orange County Affiliate’s 2011 Most Inspirational Breast Cancer Survivor, Cindy Thomsen was acknowledged during this year’s tribute.

Be sure to join us again next year to help us in our fight against breast cancer! Visit www.komenoc.org/race to find out how you can still donate and help us meet this year’s goal.

Share the Book

It was a simple, heart-felt promise, sister to sister. But that promise changed the life of Nancy Brinker and lead to the global non-profit organization Susan G. Komen for the Cure. “When Suzy died, my life’s work was born. Her meaning became my mission,” is how Nancy describes it in her memoir “Promise Me.”

“Promise Me” is the story of Nancy’s relationship with her sister Susan, her words to her  dying sister, and the 30-year-long mission to change the way the world thought of, spoke of, and treated breast cancer. Susan G. Komen for the Cure is now the largest private funder of breast cancer research.

The book will be released nationwide on September 14. If you preorder a copy now from any U.S. based-online retailer, Komen for the Cure will send a free, limited edition signed copy to your sister, or anyone else you designate. The directions on how to order the book and get your free copy are at www.PromiseMebyNancyGBrinker.com By sharing the memoir with someone you love, you can be part of the global movement to end breast cancer.

If you get the book delivered by the release date, you’ll have enough time to read it before Ambassador Nancy Brinker comes to Newport Beach on Sunday, September 26, to be part of the Komen Orange County Race for the Cure. Register now at www.komenoc.org.

To whet your appetite for the book, and to understand the importance of Komen for the Cure, there is an interview with Nancy Brinker in the June issue of More magazine http://www.more.com/2050/18109-her-sister-s-keeper

Nancy Brinker at Our Race

You think it’s too early to commit to the Komen Orange County Race for the Cure on September 26? People are already registering for the Race. One person in particular who plans to attend is Ambassador Nancy Brinker, the Founder and CEO of Susan G. Komen for the Cure. If she can put our Race on her calendar, you can too.

Brinker has a new book being published on September 14, just days before the Orange County Race. You can read an excerpt of “Promise Me” at www.promisemebynancygbrinker.com. The book will remind you about Susan Komen, the sister who was Nancy’s motivation to make a difference for other women fighting breast cancer.

The book tells how the promise to Susie launched Nancy on a thirty-year-long mission to change the way the world thought of, spoke of, and treated breast cancer. Brinker’s unparalleled success at turning $200 and a list of would-be donors into a movement that has saved the lives of women was recognized by President Obama in August 2009, when he awarded Brinker the Presidential Medal of Freedom. “In the months after making that promise,” the President noted, “Nancy lay awake at night wondering if one person can really make a difference. Nancy’s life is the answer.”

Come hear Nancy on Sunday, September 26, to be inspired. Early registration this month will save you money at www.komenoc.org.