TORCH Summer 09.qxd - Lee University

■ EDITORIAL | Cameron Fisher, editor, TorchRunning (Literally!) a Great RaceSINCE MY FRESHMAN year at Lee inthe fall of 1980, I have seen the comingsand going of events, trends, andtraditions. One trend which hasrecently emerged through events isnow becoming a tradition: running.Perhaps because Lee has a presidentwho is an aficionado of the pastime,running at Lee, both as a sportor as a staged event, has mirroredLee’s growth and emergence as a harbingerof excellence.For the last seven years Lee hassponsored and coordinated the area’sGreat Strides 5K race for cystic fibrosis.Each year the race has ratcheted upthe professionalism, through landingmajor corporate sponsorships, securingUSATF certification of the course(which begins and ends on the Leecampus), garnering “chip” timingdevices, and attracting a growingnumber of participants and volunteerseach year. The result of the last sevenyears has been nearly half a milliondollars raised for cystic fibrosis (CF), acomplex genetic disease which damagesand eventually destroys the lungsof patients. About 30,000 children andyoung adults in the United States havebeen diagnosed with the disorder.This year’s event took on special significanceas a group of volunteers(Below) Team Nathan poses for a group shot during GreatStrides; (right) Nathan Smithfocused their fund-raising to honor thememory of Nathan Smith, a Lee graduatewho passed away earlier this yearafter a life-long battle with CF. “TeamNathan” sported special shirts andtogether raised more than $20,000 ofthe $60,000 raised for this year’s event.Three weeks after Great Strides, Leesponsored a dinner for any alumniwho were up to the challenge of theCountry Music Marathon or HalfMarathon in Nashville. On April 25,more than 100 Lee alumni strodeacross the finish lines of either raceand included alumni families, Lee students,staff, faculty…and PresidentConn. One member of the Lee crosscountryteam, Johnson Njoroge,placed second overall in the halfmarathon with a time of 1:11:46, amere minute behind the winner andamongst a field of 22,920 participants.The addition of Lee’s newest intercollegiatesports teams—cross-country—is another trend that has become atradition and now generates events.The men’s and women’s squads havealready become competitive withestablished programs at larger schools.On a personal note, Lee eventshave played a large role in adoptionof running as a new “tradition” inmy life. My first competitive race wasthe Great Strides 5K in 2007, followedby the inspiration gained standingon the sidelines watching dozens ofLee alumni cross the finish line ofthe Nashville half marathon a fewweeks later. Since then I have run adozen half marathons with theMarine Corps Marathon in D.C. inmy sights this fall.Running at Lee and the promotionof it is a trend which will continueto be embraced as a tradition ofexcellence continues to be built inthe years to come.Editor’s Note: I was pleased to have myson, Grant ’08, and daughter, Amanda,participate in the half marathon with me.17 TORCH • Summer 2009 TORCH • Summer 200917