Northwoods Adventure: Hundreds Race for the Cure in Baxter

Hundreds of people were at Forestview Middle School on Saturday for a 5K race, but this wasn’t just any other 5K.

“It’s a ‘race’ to get to the finish line, which means a world without breast cancer,” said race chair Emily Lanin.

The race was to raise money and awareness for breast cancer, a disease that has taken the lives of far too many men and women.

“Two women die in Minnesota every day [from breast cancer], and I think nine are diagnosed every day,” Lanin said. “That’s way too many.”

To raise funds for cancer research, individuals and teams signed up for the 5K event and did some fundraising on their own.

At the Race for the Cure, survivors were honored based on how many years they have survived, races were held for kids, and of course, there was the main 5K event. Before the runners could get going, there was a new “Zero K” where participants simply stepped over the finish line, to make sure everybody could get involved.

“We have the 5K run, the 5K walk, the one-mile walk, the “Zero K”, and sleep in for the cure,” Lanin said. “So there’s something for everybody.”

And everyone came out for the cure…

“It’s just heartwarming to see the pouring of love and support that everybody’s given, both from the survivors and also the caregivers,” Laine Larson, the race’s honorary survivor, said.

Because of all the support, there has been incredible advancements in cancer research and technology.

“I’ve had cancer two times and they were eight years apart,” Larson said. “It was interesting because although it was the same cancer, the research has gone so far during that period of time that the treatment was very different.”

But the fight is not over yet.

“The fight goes on,” Lanin said. “They have made a lot of progress in the years since the Komen Foundation was established, but there’s more to do.”

“We’re going to keep fighting until we find a cure for this,” Larson said.

All of the proceeds from the Brainerd Lakes Race for the Cure went to cancer research, with 75 percent of the funds staying in Minnesota organizations.