The Colon Cancer Coalition enters its busiest time of the year as Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month brings with it 13 events, followed by nine more events in April and May!
March Events:
Get Your Rear in Gear – Arizona……………..3/2
Strollin’ For The Colon…………………………..3/2
Caboose Cup……………………………………….3/3
Get Your Rear in Gear – Baton Rouge……..3/9
Get Your Rear in Gear – Bristol……………….3/9
Runs For Buns……………………………………..3/9
Get Your Rear in Gear – Bahamas…………3/16
Get Your Rear in Gear – Charlotte………….3/23
Get Your Rear in Gear – Asheville………….3/23
Get Your Rear in Gear – Winston Salem….3/23
Get Your Rear in Gear – Fort Worth………..3/23
Get Your Rear in Gear – St. George………..3/23
Runway For a Cure & Booty Ball……………3/23
While there’s plenty to keep you busy this CRC Awareness Month – from running or walking in our national Get Your Rear in Gear event series, golfing in the annual Caboose Cup, or dancing the night away in the Runway For a Cure & Booty Ball Gala – we’re excited to highlight the 2024 Runs For Buns multi-day event at Beech Mountain Ski Resort in Beech Mountain, NC.
The prelude to Runs for Buns kicks off on Friday, March 8, with the Not So Gala, Gala at Beech Mountain Brewing Company. The dress code is casual, and the event features live music, a live auction, and an award ceremony to recognize those with ties to colon cancer who exhibit strength, compassion, and a commitment to the community.
Following this fun evening, Runs For Buns will hit the slopes on Saturday, March 9, at Beech Mountain Ski Resort. Skiers and snowboarders will make as many runs as possible to raise funds for colon cancer. Similar to a walk-a-thon or charity run, individuals and teams garner support from family and friends who pledge donations for every ski run completed that day. Non-skiers can still participate by signing up, creating a fundraising team, and seeking donations! 100% of the proceeds come back to the Colon Cancer Coalition to help continue to combat colon cancer.
Beech Mountain Ski Resort first created Runs For Buns in 2020 when one of their own, Kelly-Grier Costin, was diagnosed with colon cancer.
“My life was going according to plan . . . Living a healthy, active lifestyle raising my children while enjoying time with family and friends,” Kelly-Grier said at the time. “In the summer of 2018, I had pain under my rib that I thought was a pulled muscle from one of my classes at the gym, and fatigue – because who isn’t tired with 3 small kids? After not resolving, I decided to listen to my body and check in with my physician. They suggested additional testing, at my persistence, to see what was causing the pain. I never imagined this pain under my rib would be stage IV colon cancer.”
“I am a young, healthy, active woman; not the face of colon cancer – typically thought to be an older man’s disease,” she continued. “It rocked me to the core, but from the beginning, I have been surrounded by an incredible network of family and friends who have embarked on the journey with me to beat this disease. My three beautiful children and husband are the reason I fight every single day. I hope that by hearing my story, I can help change the face of colon cancer and bring awareness to early screening, detection, and prevention.”
Kelly-Grier passed away on March 19, 2021, after a three-year battle with colon cancer. Beech Mountain Resort and members of the community come together to remember her during Colon Cancer Awareness Month each year.
