April 9, 2008

Coach Martin will return for the Purdue Cancer Center Challenge

The 3.1-mile race is open to the public and will begin at 8:30 a.m. Saturday (April 12), starting and finishing at Ross-Ade Stadium. The registration fee is $25. All proceeds will benefit the Purdue Cancer Center. More information, including a map of the race route, is available online at https://www.cancer.purdue.edu/Purdue5K/index.html.

Martin will present the Cuonzo Martin Challenge Award, which goes to the student organization with the largest percentage of members taking part in the race. The winning organization's name will be the first on a perpetual plaque that will be kept at the Purdue Cancer Center.

"I am one of the more than 10 million Americans with a history of cancer," said Martin, who was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma when he was 26 years old and has been in remission for the past 10 years. "It is important to give back and to recognize that something you do today could help save someone's life tomorrow. I'm grateful to those who supported the research and innovations that allowed me to continue to live my life to the fullest."

Purdue Cancer Center director, Timothy Ratliff, also is issuing a challenge and will donate $1 for every person that beats him in the race.

"This year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the Purdue Cancer Center," said Ratliff who lost both his father and father-in-law to cancer. "We are on the cusp of a new era in medical treatment that will allow us to precisely identify and attack cancerous cells in the body without harming healthy cells, and research is taking us there. There is great potential for future treatments far less invasive and much more effective."

According to the American Cancer Society, it is estimated that cancer caused 13,000 deaths in Indiana within the last year.

Cathy Wright-Eger, head coach of the Purdue women's swim team is participating in the event, and the Purdue men's basketball and swimming and diving teams will help with the race.

Additional participants include West Lafayette Mayor John Dennis, Purdue Homecoming king Tom Seto and queen Amanda Fox, Miss Purdue Kelly Bouwman and many Purdue athletes and student leaders.

On-site registration is from 4-7 p.m. Friday (April 11) and 7 a.m. Saturday (April 12) at Ross-Ade Stadium. The center also is offering "Sleep-in for the Challenge," allowing those who cannot attend the race to contribute and receive a T-shirt for the same price.

"This is a message of hope that with advances in medicine cancer is curable," said ovarian cancer survivor and Purdue alumna Pam Faerber, who helped organize the race. "As advocates there is a lot we can do. We can raise awareness of preventative measures and the need for check-ups to drive earlier diagnosis of the disease.

"What we cannot do is the research that creates better tools to screen for cancer and new treatments to combat it. We need facilities and research groups such as the Purdue Cancer Center to do that, but we can help by raising support for their work."

Greater Lafayette community members Paulette Moody and Beth Saiki-Olsen are co-chairing the event.

"Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States," Saiki-Olsen said. "Purdue is working diligently to find new ways to battle the disease and develop treatments that are more effective and have fewer side effects. We must come together as a community to support the top-tier research going on in our own backyard at the Purdue Cancer Center. We can win the war on cancer."

More than 898 participants have signed up for the race. Through the participation fee and additional donations, more than $25,000 has been raised for cancer research.

Moody said she is impressed with the response to the inaugural run/walk event.

"We've been overwhelmed by the support we have received from the community on behalf of the Purdue Cancer Center," she said. "It is with this support that we will make a difference in finding a cure for cancer!" 

The Purdue Cancer Center is one of just seven National Cancer Institute-designated basic-research facilities in the United States. The center, which was established in 1976, attempts to help cancer patients by identifying new molecular targets and designing future agents and drugs for effectively detecting and treating cancer.

Writer: Elizabeth Gardner, (765) 494-2081, ekgardner@purdue.edu

Sources: Timothy Ratliff, (765) 494-9129, tlratliff@purdue.edu

Pam Faerber, (317) 509-1781, pfaerber1@tds.net

Beth Saiki-Olsen, bethsaiki-olsen@insightbb.com

Paulette Moody, jpmoody1@yahoo.com

Elizabeth Steurer, (765) 427-3128, steurered@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

Note to Journalists: Testimonials from participants including West Lafayette Mayor John Dennis and Cuonzo Martin are available online at https://www.cancer.purdue.edu/testimonials.php  Updated enrollment numbers are posted on the Purdue Cancer Center Web site.

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