Pretty in pink, Cindy Henderson stood near the finish line of the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure on Sunday afternoon, waiting for her husband and son to complete the 5K run.
“I was going through chemotherapy this time last year,” said the 48-year-old Chattanooga resident. “I’ve never come to this before. I’ll probably never miss it again.”
An estimated 8,500 came to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga to participate in the 11th annual event to benefit breast cancer. According to chairman Sarah Bowen, more than $400,000 was raised from the race itself, with the total from sponsorships and such likely pushing that amount above $550,000.
“We raised $2.5 million the first 10 years, with $1.9 million staying here in the community,” said Bowen. “Teams (a minimum of 10 people) grew from 141 to 189 this year. It’s been the biggest ever.”
Many individuals – including Henderson’s husband, Britt, and 15-year-old son, Zach, a Boyd-Buchanan football player – trained several weeks for the race.