Participants take a picture before running the Breakthrough for Brain Tumors 5K event. Credit: Courtesy of Candace Crew
The American Brain Tumor Association is raising funds and awareness for brain tumor and cancer patients Saturday with their annual Columbus Breakthrough for Brain Tumors 5K.
Participants should plan to arrive at 7:30 a.m. at Coffman Park in Dublin, according to the BT5K website. The program will kick off at 8:40 a.m., and runners will start the 5K at 9 a.m. The ABTA expects 600 to 650 attendees for this year’s run, Candace Crew, community manager for the ABTA, said.
“So, it always starts with just the site opening to the public so that people who have registered can come and check in, pick up their race shirt, their bib — if they’re running — and get to go to the different tents that we have from different sponsors,” Crew said.
Crew said sponsors of the event will be present, including The James, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Kettering Health, Ohio Health and Novocure.
“We call it a morning program. That’ll start around 8:30 and that will have an MC who will introduce the event and talk about the ABTA,” Crew said. “[T]hen we have a panel discussion. It’s a light panel discussion because [the sponsors] get one question each.”
Crew said most runners will only take 20 to 30 minutes to finish, they typically give participants about an hour and a half to complete.
Crew said 100% of the funds raised go back to the ABTA. The 5K has happened annually for the past 11 years, and in that time, over $19 million has been raised, Crew said.
“The net profits go to our mission … [W]e have several great mechanisms that we fund each year for brain tumor treatment research and patient services,” Crew said. “We have a ton of educational services, social, emotional and even some direct financial assistance.”
Crew said The James has a long-standing relationship with the ABTA. While she said she can’t speak to the cancer hospital’s involvement prior to her employment, researchers and clinicians have been in attendance since the first 5K.
“Ohio State, and more specifically The James, is always finding ways to be involved with the community,” Crew said. “[I]t’s really great to be able to see that in person, you know, beyond the campus walls and boundaries … when you’re doing events such as this, a lot of work is being able to see firsthand the impact that it can have on the brain tumor community.”
Dr. Monica Venere, associate professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology within the College of Medicine, has been involved with the ABTA since she was awarded one of their research grants in 2012. Venere has also spoken at the BT5K on behalf of the cancer hospital in years prior.
A participant in the BT5K waves at the camera during the race. Credit: Courtesy of Candace Crew
“Having been continuously supported by them throughout my career, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to give back and be a part of the BT5K,” Venere said. “It’s very impactful to thank everyone for being there and to allow them to know, on the research side, that we’re getting out of bed every day, coming into the lab all hours of the day to make a difference.”
“[The James] sponsor[s] the event at a specific level that provides us with a tent at the events so we’re able to connect with the brain tumor community,” Venere said. “There’s researchers like myself and my lab, there’s also clinicians there, but the main focus of this are the brain tumor patients, the survivors, their families, their caregivers, [who] come together and raise funds for brain tumor research that ABTA supports.”
Venere said The James’ tent at the BT5K will have kid-friendly activities for attendees, helping them better understand the science behind brain tumors.
“We use glitter to pretend that these are cells, and we have petri dishes and little serological pipettes,” Venere said. “[W]e go through how we study brain tumors on the research side, and we talk about how we can test different new drugs against these cells and see how they respond.”
Venere said students are encouraged to participate in the event.
“They’re making a difference by fundraising for cancer research — and in particular in this case, brain tumor research. Most of these tumors, we don’t have curative therapies for, so research is important,” Venere said. “It’s the only way we’re going to reach that goal, so if they participate, they are a part of that. They’re a part of finding cures for these patients, and that’s huge, to be able to contribute — [to] spend a few hours one morning and make an impact like that.”
For more information or to register, visit the BT5K website. Participants can sign up with an existing team or as an individual. Ohio State students can use promo code “OSU” for 25% off the sign up fee. Participants can also register Saturday on-site.
