NEWS

‘Sole Sisters’ women’s exercise group to participate in Komen race

By AMY PHILBECK
UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center

CHAPEL HILL -- Eleven weeks ago, a group of local women came together with a similar goal in mind – to run, or at least walk, the three-mile Komen NC Triangle Race for the Cure on June 8.

Judy Swasey, a nurse practitioner with University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center’s Breast Cancer Program and a runner herself for the past 20 years, first announced her challenge to the group that would become the 2002 "Sole Sisters" in March. Swasey specifically asked that all the women who signed up not have a current exercise program.

"Although the initial goal is to complete the Race for the Cure, the long-term goal is to establish a lifelong exercise habit," Swasey said.

Mary Seagroves, a 36-year-old participant, has walked in the Race for the Cure every year since her recovery from breast cancer five years ago.

"I would never have imagined we’d all be doing as well as we are. Even though my friends and I are still walking, it’s amazing how much ground we’re covering."

Seagroves went into the 12-week exercise program with hopes of running in the race this year, but problems with her shins have kept her from running.

"I made it a personal goal to start running, and I’ll get there," she said. "It just might take a little longer."

This is the second year for the training program. Last year, more than 75 percent of the participants completed the race, Swasey said. She added that a six-month follow-up of the 2001 Sole Sisters indicated that 77 percent of the women were still exercising.

The Sole Sisters meet once a week and begin every workout with a warm-up. For the first few weeks, the group was just walking, Seagroves said, but after that members started a mix of running and walking. Like Seagroves, some of the women chose to continue walking only, but all were heading for the ultimate goal of participating in the Race for the Cure.

"It’s not a pass or fail situation," said Diana Steele, 67, a member of the 2002 group and a breast cancer survivor. "You’re just there to be yourself, doing what you can do that day."

Swasey has asked the women in the group to walk or run at least three other days during the week besides their Tuesday evening meeting. Many of the women in the group, including Seagroves and Steele, set up times during the week to meet with other members of the group to exercise.

Hopefully, by asking the women to exercise outside of the running group, it will help their transition to running after the program is over, Swasey said.

One of last year’s participants, Diana Knetchel, actually decided to run in a Raleigh marathon after completing the running group. Knetchel, also a breast cancer survivor, said she had felt her health declining and didn’t want her cancer to be "the beginning of the end." This year, she has participated as a guest runner, coming to the Tuesday meetings on occasion to offer support and advice to the group.

The ultimate goal of running in the Race for the Cure has been on everyone’s mind even more as the day gets closer, Seagroves said.

"For me personally, as a cancer survivor, it’s just been interesting. It’s with me everyday, but so many people don’t know about my cancer. I think this has really been a way to increase awareness even if just among my friends," Seagroves said.

On the day of the race, breast cancer survivors put on their pink shirts and hats to distinguish themselves from the rest of the participants. The Sole Sisters plan to take a bus to the race and keep the spirit up all the way.

"It’s just been a great way to exercise and for a really worthy cause," Steele said.

For more information on the Komen NC Triangle Race for the Cure, click on http://www.nctrianglerace.org.

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Note on coverage: The Sole Sisters will have their last pre-race practice June 4; for the time and location of the practice, contact Deb Saine at (919) 962-8415.

Lineberger center contacts: Dianne G. Shaw at (919) 966-5905 or Judy Swasey at (919) 843-8057