2015 Race for Cure a Family Affair for WRAL Staffers

WRAL-TV proudly sponsored the annual Komen Race for the Cure in 2015, and a number of staffers were on hand to help support the event and participate in the walk/run. The temps soared on Saturday, June 13^th, at Meredith College in Raleigh, but that didn’t stop several WRAL’ers from bonding with family to help find a cure.

Phyllis Parish & Gabby — WRAL-TV’s Phyllis Parish and her daughter, Gabby, see themselves on WRAL’s Social Inspiration Board at the 2015 Komen Race for the Cure.

WRAL-TV Director of Local Production Phyllis Parish brought her daughter, Gabby, who recently graduated from UNC-CH, to participate in the 2015 Race for the Cure. The pair first participated on Team WRAL together in 2007. Parish shared their experience with capcom.

Gabby’s a runner; I’m a walker. We both enjoy supporting different nonprofit causes. Komen’s Race for a Cure is a special one for both of us, because we have friends from our church and our neighborhood who are breast cancer survivors. I also have survivor friends I know through work and Gabby has a college friend whose mother battled breast cancer. So, we run and walk in honor of them and for a cure!

It always seems to be hot on Komen day…and Saturday was no exception. We arrived early and visited with friends at our WRAL tent. Gabby warmed up with Zumba, then we took off in our respective races. Afterwards, we met up and strolled through Komen’s tent city. That’s our time to relax together and compare our favorite moments along the route. This year, we agreed the best decorated house, by far, was the pink house with bras hanging in the trees! The neighborhoods along the way are always fun…Gabby especially enjoyed the “sprinkler street,” as she calls it.

Dr. Devi, a Duke Cancer Institute researcher who I interviewed for a recent Komen story on Inflammatory Breast Cancer, came up to me after the race and said how much our story on IBC was helping to raise awareness about this rare form of breast cancer. That was a real special moment, especially with Gabrielle there to share it with me.

WRAL-TV News Producer Miriam Melvin started what might become a new tradition for her and her 6-year-old son, Joshua. She also shared with capcom:

Joshua has been eager to run with “Mommy Bear” since my first Rock N Roll Raleigh ½ marathon 2014 earned me a nice medal.

With each race he asks me about running a race but I explain that it’s not that simple. It takes endurance and training to run 13.1 miles.

Well, this year when the church announced we would be participating AGAIN in the Susan G. Komen Race he immediately asked me if he could do that race.

A few other children around his age were participating so he wouldn’t be denied.

On race day “JP” was ready to take off but mommy wouldn’t let me in the sea of people. Once the crowd thinned out we left our group and began our walk/run.

To my surprise JP easily ran 3/1 and 4/1. (Intervals for run 3 minutes, walk 1 minute or run 4 minutes, walk 1 minute)

At times, mommy forced him to walk a little longer because I didn’t want him to overdo it. It was blazing hot outside so we made sure to hydrate at every water stop and we ran through every water station and squealed happily when squirted by water guns.

As we approached Applebee’s for the final stretch I told JP we could walk to the corner to make sure we had a strong finish…but he wouldn’t have it.

JP and I sprinted happily towards the finish line and I even pulled back so he could enjoy the moment of crossing ahead of me!

The huge smile on his face was so wonderful! He even asked me if I liked his “speedy finish”? It was all I could do to hold back tears of joy because we found something ELSE we both enjoy.

The Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure was a great success and we believe someday SOON there will be a cure for breast cancer.

Gerald Owens & Mike Maze — WRAL-TV’s Gerald Owens (left) & WRAL-TV’s Mike Maze are proud to support the 2015 Komen Race for the Cure.

WRAL-TV Anchor Gerald Owens participated in memory of his mother. Here’s what he had to say about the day.

Having lost my mother to breast cancer 22 years ago, the emotion of Saturday was real. To see all the survivors march into the stage area, proudly displaying their ‘years of survival’ sends chills down my spine. One, because there are so many people dealing with this dreaded disease. And two, because they marched in strong, determined and confident they will beat this disease. Their smiles energized the whole crowd. It was emotional on many fronts. And a cause that truly affects most of here at CBC, in one way or another.

Thanks to all the members of Team WRAL and the many others who participated in the 2015 Komen Race for the Cure!

Thanks to WRAL-TV’s Phyllis Parish, Miriam Melvin & Gerald Owens for sharing these capcom photos.