Stand Up To Cancer

At 6:30 am on Sunday the streets surrounding Busch Stadium were already packed with runners and walkers heading for the start line of the MLB All-Star Charity 5K. The race marked the first-ever collaboration between three major cancer foundations for an event of this kind. The spirit of optimism and unity was palpable in the air. Stand Up To Cancer teamed up with Susan G. Komen Foundation and the Prostate Cancer Foundation, along with SU2C celebrity ambassador Shawn Johnson, to host the event.

I was at the race, along with several other Stand Up To Cancer team members, to set up and man our booth and hand out SU2C T-shirts at the start line. We were also lucky enough to have the help of several volunteers from the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, who proudly wore Stand Up To Cancer t-shirts and rallied other runners to support SU2C.

The race kicked off with a welcome from the foundation heads (Sherry Lansing, Nancy Brinker, Michael Milken) and one of our favorite and youngest SU2C ambassadors, Shawn Johnson! Shawn wore an SU2C t-shirt and a huge smile. Runners cheered when Shawn greeted the crowd with her infectious grin and an enthusiastic wave, and when she gave Sherry Lansing a huge hug. The Stand Up To Cancer team and our PanCan volunteers posed with Shawn and Sherry for a special photograph.

Check out photos of the race here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/su2c/sets/72157621291306149/

At the finish line it was so perfect that Shawn, herself an Olympic gold medalist, was the one to place medals on the winning runners. With her was baseball hero Vince Coleman, a legendary speedster for the St. Louis Cardinals. After the closing ceremony, participants came to our booth where they could watch SU2C PSAs, share their personal stories with us, and collect our cool gear.

Working at the booth, I was blown away by the dedication, warmth, and interest that people showed in Stand Up To Cancer. Countless runners had attended our Sheryl Crow concert the night before and were excited to meet the team that had organized it with MLB.

(Image credit: Rich Pilling/MLB Photos)

Though exhausted from our 4 a.m. wake up call, the entire SU2C team was thrilled at the amazing turnout. We had witnessed firsthand the power of collaboration, the overwhelming energy of our supporters, and what it looks like to truly make a difference - all before 10 a.m. on a Sunday.

--Mary Pomerantz