University of Minnesota Athletics
Breathe Easy 5K Run
11/30/2010 12:00:00 AM | Athletics
Breathe Easy The Student Athlete Advisory Committee hosts the Third Annual Breathe Easy 5K Run at the University of Minnesota
Story Written by Athletic Communications Student Intern and student-athlete Danielle Lebreck
Runners followed “keep it up” and “almost there” signs chalked onto the sidewalks of campus and heard encouraging cheers from supporters as they pushed on to cross the finish line on a cloudy, crisp October afternoon. One could see student athletes, college students, families, and friends race by. They weren’t just running to get in a workout or simply just for fun, however. All of these runners were running for a purpose.
The Student Athlete Advisory Committee hosted the 3rd annual Breathe Easy Cystic Fibrosis 5K run fundraiser on Sunday, October 17 on the University of Minnesota campus. The run, which began at 1:00 p.m., started and ended in front of Coffman Memorial Union. All of its proceeds went to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
Despite the cloudy skies and chilly temperatures on October 17, more volunteers and participants turned out for the event this year than in years past. According to Ben Kampf, the race director of the Breathe Easy 5K, about 40 student-athlete volunteers took time out of their weekend to help out with the event. Some helped set up for the 5K, marking the course, organizing race t-shirts, setting up post-race food tables, working registration, accepting donations, and making signs for the runners during their race. Some athletes showed up just to show support for the runners and cheer them on as they ran.
The race itself consisted of a campus loop to be run two times around, giving runners a tour of part of both East Bank and West Bank. The loop started in front of Coffman Memorial Union, went through the Mall area of campus, crossed the Washington Bridge entering West Bank, looped through West Bank and came back across the bridge to end in front of Coffman Memorial Union.
Ashley Berlin, the event chair for this year’s Breathe Easy 5K, had been planning since last January for the run through her internship with the Champs Life Skills program. Berlin led the organization and promotion of the 5K, but also learned a great deal about cystic fibrosis in the process.
“The most rewarding thing for me is knowing I am making a difference,” Berlin said. “Now that I know more about cystic fibrosis, I think it’s important to be aware of it.”
Cystic fibrosis is an inherited chronic disease affecting 70,000 children and adults worldwide, with 30,000 of those in the United States alone. The disease targets the lungs and digestive system and is caused by a defective gene that causes the body to produce thick, sticky mucus. This mucus clogs the lungs, which often leads to life-threatening lung infections, obstructs the pancreas, and stops natural enzymes from helping the body break down and absorb food.
The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation states that many people with the disease now have a life expectancy into their 30s and possibly beyond. Sixty years ago, children with cystic fibrosis often did not live long enough to attend elementary school. Events like the Breathe Easy 5K that donate all of its proceeds to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, are helping to continue research to find a cure and raise the life expectancy of people affected by the disease.
Molly Boyum, the executive director of the Minnesota and Dakotas Chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, worked closely with the Student Athlete Advisory Committee in planning the 5K, and enjoyed seeing college students becoming involved in raising awareness. “It’s great seeing college students doing something and getting involved for a good cause,” Boyum said. “I think a lot of college students have heard of cystic fibrosis, but don’t know a lot about it. Anytime you can educate people about cystic fibrosis and what it is, it can help so many patients.”
The annual 5K event for cystic fibrosis has grown in volunteers, runners, and awareness since its creation three years ago. Ben Wegemer, a former intern of Anissa Lightner’s—who is the Assistant Director of Student-Athlete Welfare— originally came up with the idea of hosting a fundraiser for cystic fibrosis.
“It’s something unique that wasn’t being offered,” Wegemer, now the Athletics Learning Coordinator at University of Texas at San Antonio, said. “In the first year it started as a multiple sports challenge, and then it turned into the 5K.”
Wegemer explained he has a brother with cystic fibrosis, which first prompted him to create an event to raise both money and awareness among students and the community on the University of Minnesota campus. “I had this desire to do something to benefit cystic fibrosis and tried to offer something.”
Wegemer too, acknowledged the importance of student involvement, especially that of the student athletes, which he observed from the beginning in the year the Breathe Easy 5K was created. “What made it all possible and was the best thing was the diligence of the Minnesota student-athletes. It was amazing, the outpouring of volunteers and help,” Wegemer recalled. “The first year we had double the number of athlete volunteers than participants and it was the most miserable day outside, but they were still out there and were the most selfless, giving people you can imagine.”
Student-athletes were not only working the event, but some ran it as well. The entire men’s wrestling team, some swimmers, and also some track and field athletes participated in the 5K. Though Wegemer was unable to attend the event this year, he has been present in years past and acknowledged the generosity of the student athlete’s involvement.
“The unbelievable student-athletes are willing to give to the cause. They have given up their time to help and it means a lot to me and my family. Even if it’s in a small way, it means so much.”
