Pink and gray make a lovely combination.
A drizzle hit the third annual Eugene Race for the Cure on Sunday morning at Autzen Stadium.
Participants in the event, which is sponsored by Susan G. Komen for the Cure, either ran or walked in the 8k and 5k race, many wearing pink clothing — some wearing pink tutus — all to raise awareness for breast cancer.
Brooklyn Brusse, a University of Oregon advertising major and a summer intern at Susan G. Komen, participated in the Survivor Tribute 5k walk as a second-year team captain and has around 25 members in her team this year.
“You go online and you form a team as the captain. I use a lot of social media like Facebook and Twitter and get friends and family to sign up,” Brusse said.
Brusse’s mother died of breast cancer in 2004 and Brusse has participated in the race since. Brusse’s team, called “Gina’s Believas,” raised $2,600 for the event.
“I think it’s really important that college students realize that just because we are in the 18 to 24-year-old range, doesn’t mean that we are not at risk and early detection is the best protection,” Brusse said. “It’s really important for everyone else to be aware of it … especially if it’s in your family. Because it’s in my family, I have been looking into genetic testing.”
Controversy hit the event when Komen’s headquarters stopped funding Planned Parenthood. Three days later, the decision was reversed and the local Komen office came out publicly against the decision.
“It really has affected things for us because a lot of people support both Komen and Planned Parenthood and they didn’t like the message that it sent, which was politicizing our organization, so we just really tried to stay focused on the mission, focus on saving lives and showing how we opposed that decision from the beginning,” said Devon Downeysmith, Komen’s marketing and communications manager.
According to Downeysmith, more than 3,500 people participated in the event, in contrast to 6,000 participants in 2011.
“Our numbers are definitely down, which is unfortunate, but I think it’s really important to recognize the people that are here and are still supporting through ups and downs,” Brusse said.