There are times when you just know that someone would have appreciated and approved of what you are doing in their memory or to honor them. In this case, Saturday's 9th Annual Run for Kathy was exactly what Kathy Popp Long would have wanted. The 5K race held at Allen Pond Park was very successful raising over $12,000 for the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, bringing the nine year total to $89,000. Ken Long and his extended family work tirelessly to make sure that the event honors Kathy's memory and is a worthwhile event for runners.

Kathy was a personal friend and running partner of mine for several years. We used to run in the early morning hours before the kids woke up and the chaotic day began. We both cherished those morning runs. Well, maybe not the getting up so early part but definitely the sharing our thoughts part. She loved the outdoors as much as she loved family activities, so the Run For Kathy is the perfect way to honor Kathy.

What Kathy would have appreciated most is that anyone could have participated in the activities, and there was something for everyone. She loved family outdoor activities, and Saturday's activities included a 5K Run, a 1 Mile Kids Run, and a 1 Mile Walk. After-race activities included face painting, crafts, cotton candy, and food. Yes, food! Popeyes chicken, Panera Bread bagels, fresh fruit, and Pizza Hut pizza were served up after the race along with plenty of water. Age- appropriate drawings for Under Armour apparel, gift certificates to a wide variety of restaurants, rounds of golf, and even flying lessons were available to all participants.

The other part Kathy would have appreciated was that the $89,000 raised over the years ALL goes for cancer research. Kathy died at the very young age of 36 from cervical cancer in January of 1999. She was survived by a husband, 3 girls, and a loving family. The money contributed Saturday, and over the last 8 years, goes directly to research that will one day find a cure for cervical cancer so that women as young and vibrant as Kathy do not have to succumb to cancer. We all know someone who has been affected by cancer and the research done at Johns Hopkins can one day change that.

The weather was perfect for running starting out a little cool but warming as the race start time arrived. The 1 Mile Kids Run started promptly at 8:45am followed by the 1 Mile Walk and shortly thereafter the 5K race. The encouragement from the volunteers, who were everywhere from guiding the race to handing out water to each participant to helping the kids with crafts, was very heart warming. Upbeat music could be heard from the time you arrived at the park and seemed to lift everyone's spirits ... or at least wake them up.

There were prizes for overall winners in the male and female category as well as age brackets. Impressive times were clocked by the top finishers.

The Mayor of Bowie Fred Robinson was there to thank everyone for participating. A representative of Johns Hopkins, Kyleigh Helfrich was on hand to share information about Johns Hopkins and how important fundraisers like the Run for Kathy are to the research in finding a cure for cancer. Here are a few comments that Kyleigh said:

"This is a wonderful way to honor Kathy's memory and to be proactive in the fight against cancer... Every dollar that you have raised has gone to researching better prevention methods, treatment of and vaccines for cervical cancer. We are relying more heavily on the generosity of individuals like you to make up for the decreased availability of federal research funds because of budget cuts. Each year there are 13,000 women diagnosed with cervical cancer in the United States... There are several things that Kimmel researchers have done in the last year that we believe will dramatically reduce that number...the first is the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, the second is prevention and early diagnosis,...the third is clinical trails...Thank you again for your support of the Kimmel Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins and for helping us fight cancer."

Top Three Finishers

Male:
     George Vogel, Alexandria, VA - 16:49 
    (George (in photo above) won the 2006 race as well)
     Ian Banks, Bowie, MD - 16:55 
     John Ausema, Greenbelt, MD - 17:26
Female:
     Heidi Swarts, Baltimore, MD - 19:14 in photo above below
     Christine Hinton, Crofton, MD - 22:52
     Tenaja Jennings, Clinton, MD - 23:00

Kathy would have loved seeing her girls, her brothers, her sister, her mom and step-dad, cousins, nieces, nephews, her in- laws, and close friends working together to bring individuals and families together for an outdoor activity. I recognized many of the runners from years past, and I talked with a few runners who ran their first Run for Kathy today. In talking with them after the race, they said they will definitely be back next year.

Full Race Day Results

For more information, including photos of the event, visit the web site.