MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota runners couldn't have a better lead-up to the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon Weekend. So far, the forecast looks stunning.
This is a different story from last year's last-minute cancellation due to record breaking heat.
At the time, Team Superstars, a 12-person team from Children's Minnesota, planned to tackle the Medtronic TC 10 Mile.
"We were all texting and really bummed and then within probably 15 minutes, we all started texting and saying, 'Actually, you know what? I'm going to figure out how to still run this,'" recalled Rachel Laquere, a registered dietician and co-captain for the team.
As care providers within Children's Minnesota's Pediatric Cancer and Blood Disorders unit, Laquere and her coworkers raised about $25,000 for the hospital's Cancer Kids Fund. Although it was canceled, they were still able to donate and run. While some people ran the race route, others went around lakes and on treadmills.
"All 12 of us still ended up going out and doing the 10 miles that day," Laquere said.
This Sunday, they plan to come back to the course together to run as originally planned.
"We've all been looking at the weather," Laquere said with a laugh.
This year, 41 people are registered to raise another $25,000 for the Cancer Kids Fund via Team Superstars. Only, they're not all on staff.
"We also have some of the patient's family members that are running with us, too," clinical assistant Zach Faith explained.
Jen Helleen is one such person. Her son, Flin, went through 44 weeks of treatment at just 5 years old after doctors found a tumor near his kidney in 2021.
"The team asked me this year and my immediate reaction was, 'No way. I'm not a runner,' but then Flin looked at me and said, 'If I can beat cancer, you can run 10 miles,'" Helleen said. "I said, 'Okay I guess we're doing this!'"
After all, they know firsthand how important the cause is. The Cancer Kids Fund helps patients and families with everyday expenses like parking and meals, and bigger expenses like mortgage payments. Children's Minnesota says this is because most families have to take time off work to stay in the hospital, attend clinic appointments and care for their children.
"It covered all of our parking costs. It provided meals for my husband and I to eat," Helleen said. "The last thing you want to worry about when your kiddo is going through something like this is how am I going to make a mortgage payment?"
The fund also helps families with fertility preservation and the costs of seeing psychologists, music therapists, child life specialists and dietitians. Additional support goes toward items meant to keep kids happy and busy in the clinic and hospital like art supplies, toys and games.
Cancer Kids Fund also helps send kids and their siblings to Camp Breakaway, a week long summer camp, as well as funding research to find new and better treatments.
"We work with these families day in and day out and get to know them on a very personal level and they become very vulnerable with us, letting us know their challenges and everything that need assistance with and we're just so grateful that we have the capability to be able to help them," fellow co-captain Erin Bevers said.
At last check Tuesday evening, Team Superstars was less than $5,000 short of its goal. Donations can be made online.