Since 1999, IU students and Bloomington community members have laced up their running shoes to celebrate an event in support of cancer survivors. At 10 a.m. this Saturday, they will gather again for Hoosiers Outrun Cancer in front of Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
Hoosiers Outrun Cancer has already raised over $230,000 for Cancer Support Community South Central Indiana, which funds free programs for those with cancer.
These programs include support groups, counseling and resources like wigs and chemo kits at no cost to the local community.
The Bloomington Health Foundation previously oversaw the event but let Cancer Support Community run it since 2021, along with a 5-year $2.4 million startup grant, according to Cancer Support Community’s Development Manager Stephanie Shelton.
“Their intent, I think, was to kind of let us have a test run to make sure that we would handle the event well and steward it and continue the legacy that they started with it,” Shelton said. “And then this year, actually, they just officially transferred the event ownership over to us.”
The event has grown since its beginnings 25 years ago when a small volunteer committee debuted it with over 3,000 attendees.
“I just think what’s really impressed me the most about the event over the last few years is just how many people wait to see the date for this event, put it on their calendar a year ahead of time,” Shelton said.
The race is Cancer Support Community’s biggest fundraising event, and Shelton said it brings in about half of the non-profit’s annual operating budget, having raised over $350,000 in years past.
“It is a lot to come up with, but it’s just absolutely critical to our community’s health,” Shelton said. “Oftentimes, when people get a cancer diagnosis, they have to pause working or quit their job to undergo treatment… so I think it’s really important to the community for everyone to have the support they need.”
According to Shelton, additions to the event for its 25th anniversary will include a parade celebrating cancer survivors led by IU cheerleaders before the race and a bell at the finish line.
“As cancer survivors cross the finish line, they can ring the bell, which is symbolic of ringing the bell after you complete your chemotherapy treatments,” Shelton said. “I think that will be a really meaningful addition for cancer survivors.”
Shelton said Bloomington Mayor Kerry Thomson will attend the event to declare Oct. 5, 2024, “Hoosiers Outrun Cancer Day.”
She hopes that the event and Cancer Support Community South Central Indiana will continue to grow. In past years, over 4,000 participants have attended the race.
“It almost scares me a little bit to think about that truly, because the first three years that we’ve been around, we’ve almost doubled the number of people that we’ve served every year,” Shelton said.
Registration for the event starts at $45, and there are opportunities to donate to the event to Cancer Support Community South Central Indiana’s website.
“It’s a beloved community event,” Shelton said. “Since I started, I just keep hearing that over and over and over again, and the more that I’ve been around the event, the more that I can see how true that really is.”
