2 students run 12 miles to fight cancer

From David Long at Cannon School in Concord:

Two Huntersville teenagers had an idea to help fight cancer and decided to run with it.

Stephanie Schauder and Tim Gruber will join friends and supporters on Friday, Nov. 12, in running 12 miles from Presbyterian Hospital in Huntersville to Cannon School in Concord, where both are students, to raise $12,000 for Relay for Life of Mooresville/Lake Norman.

Stephanie has supported Relay for Life since her father was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer two years ago. Her father passed away last January.

“During this difficult time, I began to see how many people were affected by this disease,” said Stephanie. “I knew I needed to do something to help other cancer patients and their families.”

She started her own Relay for Life team at Cannon School, Cougars Fighting Cancer, to raise money for the American Cancer Society. Last year, the 25-member team raised nearly $7,000.

Last summer, as Stephanie considered ways to meet her $12,000 fundraising goal, her friend Tim proposed that they run from their homes in Huntersville to Cannon School as a fundraiser for Relay for Life. The idea grew from there, and they are now planning the run, dubbed Cannon Runs for Cancer Research, with officials from event sponsors Cannon School and Presbyterian Hospital Huntersville.

Stephanie, Tim and friends will start running at 11 a.m. at Presbyterian Hospital Huntersville, which is a short distance from their homes. The run is open to anyone who would like to participate and there will be several pick-up points along the route until Stephanie and Tim arrive at Cannon School at 1 p.m.

Participants may:

• Run from Presbyterian Hospital Huntersville to Cannon School in Concord, a distance of 12 miles
• Run five miles to Cannon School, joining 12-mile runners at the Harris Teeter at Poplar Tent Road and Harris Road in Huntersville
• Run a 5k on Cannon School’s campus
• Take part in a fun run/walk at Cannon School

The number of runners joining Stephanie and Tim will grow until all participants gather to run up the driveway of Cannon School together.

Cannon Head of School Matt Gossage and Tanya Blackmon, president of Presbyterian Hospital Huntersville, will kick-off the event. Dave Wottle, a gold medal runner from the 1972 Summer Olympics, is the keynote speaker. He is dean of admissions and financial aid at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tenn.

Registration for the event is $20, which includes a long-sleeve T-shirt. An event schedule and registration details can be found here. People can donate here.