Win the Fight 5K counting on team spirit

Runners, walkers, even sleepy-heads can help beat cancer by joining the 2013 Winship Win the Fight 5K on Saturday, October 5, 2013. In three short years, the Winship Cancer Institute’s 5K, a Peachtree Road Race qualifier, has become one of Atlanta’s most popular running events.

Legendary University of Georgia football coach Vince Dooley and his wife Barbara will fire the starting gun and serve as grand marshalls for the event. The Dooleys, who are members of Winship’s Advisory Board, understand teamwork and are encouraging a team approach to this year’s race.

“We want to support the research going on right here in Georgia and to do what we can to intensify the fight against a disease that claims more than 14,000 Georgians a year,” says Coach Dooley, who was treated successfully for throat cancer five years ago. “We believe that the best way to help is by supporting the excellent research programs under way at the Winship Cancer Institute.”

Walter J. Curran Jr., executive director of Winship, invites Winship warriors to participate by walking or running, or “our ‘sleep-in warriors’ can hit the snooze button on race day and still donate to the cause and be recognized,” he says.

Curran himself is a lead donor through the “Emo-Rayders,” the official Winship 5K team for Emory’s Department of Radiation Oncology. “It’s not just about asking other people to donate to Winship,” he says. “It’s about walking side by side with the community to make a difference in the fight against cancer.”

Participants can direct their tax-deductible donations to benefit specific cancer research based on personal interests. Funds can be directed to one of 18 different areas.

For more information on the Winship Win the Fight 5K, visit winship5k.emory.edu.