Pat Donahue/Times-EnterpriseMembers of the Treasure Chest finish their walk at Saturday’s Live Better Pink Run 5K.

THOMASVILLE — In various styles of pink, runners and walkers continued didn’t working up a morning sweat Saturday for the annual Live Better Pink Run.

The event helps usher in Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which starts Monday. The run also helps promote early detection of breast cancer and healthy living, while showing the link between obesity and cancer.

“Being in better health and being in better shape, trying to keep a good weight, all of that helps reduce your risk for cancers,” said Dr. Amanda May, a medical oncologist. “And once you’ve been diagnosed with cancer it does help with how do with your treatments and how you keep yourself healthy after you’ve had your treatments for cancer, to restore your strength.”

There is a mental and psychological benefit from better health when it comes to fighting cancer, according to Dr. May.

“It’s great for your mental health to stay active,” she said. “It helps you keep a more positive attitude and a lot of that helps you get through treatment.”

Leslie Ponder of Cairo finished the 5k with help from her team, Team Robbin’ Robin, with #Leslie and #Karen for her friend and fellow breast cancer survivor.

“I started working out right before I got diagnosed in May 2017,” Ponder said. “In the last seven weeks, I’ve had three surgeries.”

Ponder named her lump Robin — “it was robbing me of my work, of my life,” she said. “So I decided I wasn’t going to let Robin win and I was going to rob Robin.”

Events such as the Live Better Pink Run make Ponder want to be a better person for herself, she said.

“I didn’t take good care of myself before.” she acknowledged, “and now I’m trying to.”

New to the Pink Run this year was the Elite Challenge, a series of obstacles and physical trials that included flipping large tires, carrying sandbags, pushing weighted sleds and “burpees.”

Live Better initiative partners manned each station of the Elite Challenge.

“One of the aims is to keep the race fun so people want to keep coming back and join the run,” said Mark Lowe, vice president of marketing and communications at Archbold and a Live Better board member. “But another aim is to expose people to different ways of exercising and keeping a healthy lifestyle.”

Dr. May emphasized the need to stay active and to exercise, especially for those facing a cancer diagnosis.

“You don’t have to run a 5k in less than 30 minutes,” she said, ‘but just to get out there and walk do that activity is so good for that positive attitude and to rebuild strength after you’ve had that treatment or any surgeries. It’s not just good for you physically but also for mental health and that positive attitude to get you through whatever you have to get through. 

“Sometimes just being around other people and being in the fresh air is great.” 

Editor Pat Donahue can be reached at (229) 226-2400 ext. 1806.