Get off your bum and go run this weekend to champion colon cancer research, patient support services and more.
In honor of Colon Cancer Awareness Month, Grand Hyatt Kauaʻi Resort & Spa will host the ninth annual Bum Run on Saturday, March 7, at Poʻipū Bay Golf Course.
Advanced online registration is open here, though day-of registration is permitted, organizers say.
Racers are advised to arrive at 7 a.m. to get settled and enjoy a light breakfast. The scenic 2.5-mile race will begin at 7:30 a.m.
“We should be finished by 10 a.m. and might see some whales offshore. The golf course has a spectacular view,” Diann Hartman, director of marketing communications at Grand Hyatt Kauaʻi Resort & Spa, told Aloha State Daily. “The race is family friendly, youʻll see people out there with strollers. And it is not timed. Of course, you can time yourself, if youʻre competitive.”
The Bum Run will also have a silent auction featuring hotel stays in the Islands and on the Mainland, activities and dining experiences, among other prizes. Donations from the event, including the silent auction, will benefit the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life Kauaʻi. Last year’s race garnered about $15,000 for the local nonprofit focused on cancer research, prevention and early detection.
“Even if people aren’t going to run or walk, don’t miss the silent auction,” Hartman said, adding that the fundraiser also goes toward cancer treatments and transportation to appointments.
Hartman, who has resided on Kauaʻi for 35 years, was 48 years old when diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer in 2014, and has since been cured.
“I’ve always been healthy, was a vegetarian for 20-plus years and walked my dog every day, so it was, of course, a shock,” she said. “And, so, my feeling was if this can happen to me, it can happen to anyone at anytime.”
She said her colleagues wanted to do something to support her, and they did so by donating the proceeds from the first Bum Run in 2015 to Relay for Life Kauaʻi.
“It’s actually a very treatable, curable type of cancer, which many arenʻt,” she added. “You have to get screened. Fortunately, now, there’s a number of ways people can do that.”
According to the American Cancer Society, people should start regular screening for colorectal cancer at age 45.
"If you’re at a high risk of colorectal cancer based on family history and other factors, you may need to start screening before age 45, be screened more often, or get specific tests,” ACS notes.
In Hawai‘i, colon cancer is the second leading cancer killer, per the state Department of Health. According to the University of Hawai‘i Cancer Center’s Hawai‘i Tumor Registry, approximately 700 men and women are diagnosed and 225 people die from colorectal cancer each year.
Saturday's event, Hartman says, is about raising awareness and “doing what we can to save other people from going through treatments. As a team, we have also lost colleagues to this disease, as well. So many employees are affected by it.”
Maintaining a healthy lifestyle helped as she underwent chemotherapy and a number of surgeries, she said, noting that caregiver support is also “huge.”
“For me, continuing to get up and be active every day was critical, so I walked my dogs every day even if it was a much shorter walk sometimes. It helped me keep some degree of normalcy.”
For those looking for additional resources, Hartman recommends the Colon Cancer Coalition and the Colon Cancer Foundation.
From talking with participants of the Bum Run over the years, she notes, “It has helped people and saved people.”
For example, people are getting their colonoscopy, she said, adding, “It was a taboo subject before, now it breaks down barriers, which is good for people to become aware and have those conversations.”
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Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros can be reached at kelsey@alohastatedaily.com.
