This past Saturday (June 13th) I, along with many family and freinds, participated in the 11th annual Susan G. Komen St. Louis Race for the Cure. The St. Louis race/walk is one of the largest in the country. This year's event had 66,136 registered participants (and countless others), and included over 4,700 breast cancer survivors. All total the event raised $3.25m towards the cure for breast cancer. And our team raised $1,375!!!

This is our third year participating, having started just after my sister finished her treatments for breast cancer. She is now a three-year survivor, and a true inspiration to our family and all her know her.

Most of our team walks, however several of us, including myself, run the 5k route. I crossed the finish line with my niece and her fiance (both half my age!) at 28:32. It's one of the most gratifying and emotional experiences of my life... each year that I do it.

Following are a few pictures from race day:

Our awesome team... 32 strong!

Me, the wife and kids

From near the starting line at 14th and Olive

Looking back toward the starting line

The home stretch

WOO-HOO!

                        CONGRATULATIONS!

Great family picture, too!

wow, talk about a turn-out! my mom is a breast cancer survivor. looked like a great event!

Very impressive!  

Thank you and my wife thanks you, she is fighting the good fight, due to this support she recieved the best of care.

I did this race for the first time with my mom and dad and my moms work this year in Sacramento, CA.  The three of us walked the 3K (Or was is 5K  :-/) in memory, and in celebration, of my aunt who passed away from breast cancer, my second aunt who is a 5 year survivor of cancer, and my ex girlfriends step-dad who passed away from cancer.  All three touched me in a way that changed the way I look at life.  

Although my two aunts cases happened when I was young, and didn't know what was going on, my ex's step dad hit me pretty hard.  I was there threw it all.  Met him when he was a healthy retired fire fighter, to the diagnosis, then watching cancer physically and mentally break him down, to watching him take his last breath  :'(.  So needless to say, it was pretty cool to meet 35,000 people that have had a similar experience

We had around 35,000 participants this year.  Let me tell you, I'm not an emotional guy, it takes ALOT to get me teary eyed, but listening to stories, and talking to these survivors made me feel like a crying baby.    I talked with a lady during the walk who was walking 3K with a walker.  She was a 15 year survivor and was 87 years old   .  I talked to her for about 20 minutes.  She was telling me the story of her experience and how both her and her husband were diagnosed with breast cancer within the same year.  They both fought a long and hard battle, using each other as motivation, but the cancer ended up taking her husbands life at the same time the told her that the cancer was dormant in her.  She has been doing this race since then, but just recently had a stroke which put her in the walker, but to see an 87 year old breast cancer survivor doing a 3k walk just blew my mind.  I had SO much respect for this lady and it was an honor to chat with her.

So for those of you that have never participated in the event, your really missing out on an experience that might really open your eyes.  I highly recommend giving it a try as it is for a great cause.

srv1990 - thanks for the post.  Congrats on your sister's accomplishment.  That is awesome!!!

That has quickly become a big event here in St Louis.  The public support is amazing.  For those non-walkers, the local restaurants offer deals with proceeds from sales going to the cause.  

Hey Branuss, thanks for sharing.  So many of us are touched by cancer of all kinds, you'd be hard pressed to find someone who hasn't had a family member or friend afflicted by this terrible disease.

The St. Louis Komen race has been around 11 years now, but it took me until my sister was afflicted with breast cancer before I participated.  And now I can't imagine not participating every year.  It's truly a special experience.