Race for the Cure

Hope you all had a great Mother’s Day weekend. I know 41,000 spent it with me at Schenley Park on Sunday morning at the 15th edition of the race for the cure. Check out the aerial photos from Sky 4 from Sunday.

You probably see us talking about it all the time on WTAE, but there are many unsure as to what the Race is all about. For the uninitiated, the Race for the Cure raises funds to fight breast cancer and aid in research. It also raises breast cancer awareness among the population. Finally, it celebrated those who have won their battles against this disease and honors those who have lost their fight.

It began with the efforts of three local woman 15 years ago in the rain at Schenley Park. Only 300 people showed up that Mother’s Day. Now, 40,000 plus come to the park to race, remember and raise over 2 million in the battle against breast cancer.

There is no other way I would spend Mother’s Day. For myself and my co-emcee, Michelle Wright, it has become a passion. Michelle has been with the race for 13 years and I came on board a decade ago. Together, we have witnessed the joy and pain of this battle. We have laughed and cried .. and hugged so many mothers that we have lost count.

Most of all, I am proud of our employer – WTAE – for being involved in this worthwhile cause. From producer Tammy Laughlin, who produced Race specials for many years – to the commitment of management to give up air time to run promotional spots supporting the race – to our station website which has become a source of information for those looking to learn more about breast cancer detection. While I am proud of what our station does day in and day out, nothing we do has a greater impact or has made more of a difference than out support of the race.

The hope is that – one day – we will no longer have to race for a cure .. and we are coming closer to that day. But until then, we will spend our mother’s day in Schenley Park. We will laugh and cry, remember and rejoice as we come together to Race for a Cure for breast cancer.

Thanks to all the volunteers and companies that supported us Sunday – and thanks to all 41,000 that came out.