Summit County, Colorado has plenty of events and races for charitable causes, including the Romp to Stomp out Breast Cancer, a snowshoe race held in Frisco and sponsored by Tubbs snowshoes. 

This weekend I was in Aspen, and on Saturday morning I walked  the 5K walk for the Susan G Komen Foundation's Race for the Cure.  Summit County does not have the summer event yet.  We do have the winter snowshoe race, which I hope to do next season.  The photo to the right was taken at the start of the race, where everyone was waiting for the countdown.

This was my second year to walk/run (she runs, I walk)  with my friend Susie, a 15 year survivor, and our other friends Lynne and Anita. Many of my family members and friends have had breast cancer, and it is my way of honoring them.  It is an emotional event and you see some tears, but you see many more smiles from the survivors and all their friends and family members.  My sister-in-law Carol attended a race with many of her friends as she was fighting her battle, and I remember how much encouragement she gained from the visible show of support.

I like the message on the backs of the pink survivor shirts, as it really sums up what the race is all about.

Something else I noted is pieces of pink paper pinned to the backs of the runners and walkers.  The paper lists the people they are there for.  You see some "In memory of" and others "In celebration of" and there is often a long list of names. 

Breast cancer hits one in every 8 women, and that means that few people have not had a close friend or family member who has had it. The goal of the race is to raise funds to cure it and then to prevent it.

The Race for the Cure is held all over the country, and Susie attends many of them.  She runs in all she attends.  In the Aspen race she came in first in her age group.  She has been to races in Washington, DC, Greeley, Denver, and will be attending the next one in September at the Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs.  I know she has been to the Aspen race at least 10 years, and perhaps more than that. 

I tried finding a date for the next Frisco, Colorado  Romp to Stomp out breast cancer and was only able to come up with last year's website.  I think it is a bit early yet.  Last year it was on March 10th, and I am guessing this year it will be around the same time.  I will update this blog post when I find the new date.