Why are you in the race? That’s the question we’re asking registrants for this year’s Virtual Lauren’s Run & CURE Picnic Weekend Challenge. When they downloaded their bib, the Thompson family didn’t hesitate to share their answer. They have organized a team called Hayley’s Heroes for the last 15 years and they are getting out the pink are doing it again… virtually! Here’s why:
Dayna (Hayley’s mother)
Lauren’s Run has been a tradition in our family for the last 15 years now and it is truly one of our favorite days of the year. We’re able to remember our first-born daughter, Hayley, in a way that is light-hearted and fun while raising money for a disease that is anything but. Our friends and family- both those who knew Hayley personally and those who embraced her story years later- get to join us, and our other children witness firsthand the difference Hayley’s life continues to make. The whole day is full of positive, uplifting energy from the race emcees, to friends cheering friends across the finish line, to the volunteers working the carnival game booths. There’s no stress, pressure to look good, and not even a need to spend a lot of money to participate. It’s just friends and family coming together year after year to make a difference in the fight on childhood cancer and to remember a chubby-cheeked little girl who loved pink, painting, Play Doh, and puppy dogs.
Riley (Hayley’s Sister, age 11)
I’ve been going to Lauren’s run as long as I can remember and love it. When I was little, I didn’t understand how participating in a run could help other kids with cancer, but now I know that the money from every registration and donation goes to help those kids, which is really cool. It’s such a fun day, and we all wear pink for my sister – it was her favorite color! I love trying to beat my dad in the 5K, but the picnic with games afterwards is my favorite part!
Alan (Hayley’s father)
From the moment Hayley was diagnosed with cancer an entire community was hit hard. Our friends and colleagues and neighbors and family traveled the journey with us. Once a year, on Lauren’s Run, our community gathers again. We laugh and smile…run a little, walk a lot…we watch our growing children reconnect and make new friends. We eat fried chicken and catch up on life. And as we remember our precious daughter, we reinforce the bonds of a community we never want to forget. It’s a community that has amazingly continued to grow over the years. It now includes new friends who may have never known our daughter, but who have embraced her story and the fight on childhood cancer as if they did. Old, new, young, old from all areas of our life – one community for one very important cause.
So why will you run?
Wherever you are, join us June 12-14 for the Virtual Weekend Challenge when your family can have a blast and win prizes by competing in challenges of fitness, family fun, and fundraising. Visit laurensrun.org to see all the fun and register.
