Race for the Cure Draws Record Crowd of 20,000

NEWPORT BEACH —  A record crowd of people, ranging from breast cancer survivors to relatives and friends of those who died of the disease, gathered Sunday for the sixth annual Orange County Race for the Cure, a breast cancer awareness and fund-raising event.

Organizers said the event was the largest yet, with more than 20,000 people running in the 5K races and raising more than $400,000 for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.

It turned out to be a family occasion, with not only women participating but also the men and children in their lives. For some families, the disease had crossed generations, with grandmothers, mothers and daughters having been found to have breast cancer.

Art Corrica had never been touched by breast cancer. But Corrica, his wife, Tanya, and their 3-year-old daughter, Gabby, joined in the run.

“Cross my fingers, knock on wood, we will hopefully never be affected by the disease,” said Corrica, who drove from Riverside to participate. “But I feel like I’m a part of something important. . . . We need to send the message that there is a silent killer out there.”

But for most participants, the event was personal and emotional, an occasion to commemorate the death of a loved one as well as bear a message about the importance of prevention.

For Kathleen Jennings and Alan Mannino, the deadly disease struck their family, killing their mother, Jackie, three years ago.

“We are doing something in her memory,” said Jennings, who was accompanied by her husband, Mick Jennings, and her sister-in-law, Lorena. “It never gets any easier, but it’s nice to think we may be able to help other people with money going to research and awareness.”

Participating in the race could help others avoid the pain of losing their mother, Mannino added. “We did this so more kids like us don’t have to go through what we had to go through.”

Many participants wore pink signs on the backs of shirts with messages such as “We miss you, Mommy” or more cheerful messages such as “In celebration of ME!” for women who have successfully battled the disease.

Still, the statistics are daunting.

In Orange County, one woman dies every day of breast cancer; it is the leading killer of women ages 35 to 54, organizers said.

In California, a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer every 26 minutes, according to state officials. In 1997, nearly 19,000 California women will be diagnosed with the disease, and 4,600 will die.

Those statistics strike terror in the hearts of people like 26-year-old Juliana Mulder, who was diagnosed with breast cancer two years ago.

Standing amid scores of breast cancer survivors--mainly women in their 40s and 50s--she said she gathers strength from their toughness and ability to overcome such a deadly disease.

“It’s all very sad,” Mulder said. “But it’s very encouraging to see people who have been survivors for 30 years or more.”

The run was capped with a late morning ceremony in which hundreds of breast cancer survivors were given a red rose and a pink “survivors” hat. Fifty doves were released into the air after the ceremony in memory of women who died.

Still, the message of hope was not lost on 12-year-old Jason Audiss, whose mother, Kathie, has survived the disease after being diagnosed five years ago.

As he sat on the pavement, sweaty from the race and with the pink sign on his back proclaiming, “In celebration of my mom, Kathie Audiss,” Jason smiled and said: “I’d like to come back next year.”

* THE WINNER IS . . .

Portland’s Nicole Woodward battles her way to victory. C16