Rich on Running: Melanoma fundraiser a timely call to run safe

When we run, we might not think about the hazards of being outdoors. Yet the risk of melanoma is worth our attention.Melanoma, one of the three most common types of skin cancer, is estimated to cause 76,690 new cases and 9,480 deaths this year, according to the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health. This past Sunday, I spoke at a 5K fundraiser for melanoma prevention on Long Island.The Colette Coyne Melanoma Awareness Campaign “Miles for Melanoma” run/walk took place on a rainy morning at Eisenhower Park in East Meadow, Long Island. It was inspiring to see runners cross the finish line, and inspiring to hear some of them discuss the reasons why they ran. These reasons included running in honor of people who had died from melanoma. The CCMAC foundation itself is named after Colette Coyne, who was only 30 years old when she died from melanoma. Her parents started the foundation 14 years ago in her honor.Race organizers got in touch with me in February, after I had written an article for The Item about Boston Marathon legend Bill Rodgers, who was lending his support to a team of charity runners raising funds for the Melanoma Foundation of New England. Rodgers lost his grandfather to melanoma, and both he and his father had been affected by it as well.My girlfriend Laura and I drove down on Saturday. The next day, despite the rain, people showed up to run along the park pathways. (The park itself is huge, with golf courses, baseball and softball fields and an aquatics center.) The women’s winner traveled all the way from Georgia, which made our trip seem much shorter. Others had local connections, including one of the speakers, Harvey Weisenberg, the Assistant Speaker Pro Tempore of the New York State Assembly. It was also moving to see the many youngsters who ran ? and to hear one woman in the audience tell us she was a melanoma survivor.When it came time for me to speak, I kept my remarks short due to the rain. I talked about Rodgers, a former champion of both the Boston and New York City marathons who had dealt with melanoma himself and in his family. I gave a few tips for limiting exposure to the sun, such as wearing sun-protective clothing like a hat (sorry for the Patriots cap, Jets and Giants fans!), long sleeves and pants. I also urged the attendees to keep in touch with their health-care providers and stay up-to-date on the latest research. I appreciated the organizers’ gracious invitation to come and speak, as well as to help hand out medals.Coming back to the Boston area, I have seen many runners going by on the North Cambridge bike path during late-morning dog walks. Quite a few of them have left the hat and/or sunglasses at home. And in warm temperatures, you really don’t see too many runners in long sleeves, much less jogging pants or tights.However, I hope that from hearing about Rodgers’ struggles with melanoma and from events such as the Miles for Melanoma Run/Walk, we get a reminder of the danger of melanoma and the need to run safely. I will definitely remember to bring my Patriots cap when I run.Rich Tenorio can be reached at [email protected].