London woman runs 100 kilometres for the CURE!
Theresa Carriere achieved the second of two major milestones in her fight against breast cancer last
Friday night. Her first success was beating this insidious disease back in 2007 when she was first
diagnosed and the second came when she crossed the finish line in Sarnia after running 100 kilometres
in an effort to raise funds to support essential breast cancer research.
Theresa’s story began in 2007 when she went for a routine physical. She was quickly diagnosed
with breast cancer that resulted in a double mastectomy. With no history of breast cancer in her
family, this news came as a shock to Theresa and her family. Through her recovery, Theresa realized
that this challenge was in fact an opportunity to make a difference to others who might one day face the
same diagnosis. And from this inspiration, the idea of running 100 kms and raising funds for breast cancer
research was born.
Theresa Carriere talking to the crowd at ONE RUN (One London Place, June 25th).
Theresa said that, “ONERUN is one way for me, as a mom, to protect my daughters from the emotional
and physical pain of breast cancer. Perhaps the money we raise will be the last needed to find a cure.”
ONERUN was launched with the following mission as the inspiration - One Survivor, One Day, One Hundred
Kilometres. Theresa formed a team consisting of 34 individuals who logged more than 6000 volunteer hours.
Their collective creativity and energy formed the recipe for success in surpassing the $100,000 goal.
Money was raised by selling T-shirts and wristbands, collecting pledges at basketball games and hosting
special events across Ontario including, Kapuskasing, Ottawa, Strathroy and her home town of Sault Ste.
Marie. Schools got involved. Both UWO and Fanshawe hosted basketball events. Fifteen London area schools
representing approximately 3,000 students also raised funds for this worthwhile cause
GoodLife Fitness came on-board to support the ONERUN as the presenting sponsor. Theresa had been and still
is an exceptional Group Exercise Instructor for GoodLife Fitness and her team stood behind her with both
sponsorship dollars and fundraising efforts totalling close to $20,000.
Theresa’s journey began at One London Place at 7:00 a.m. on Friday, June 25 and culminated as she
crossed the finish line 100 kms later in Sarnia at Centennial Park. Incredibly, she ran the 100kms
in less than 12 hours.
By completing this monumental challenge, not only did Theresa and her ONERUN team accomplish an
incredible physical goal, they also raised over $166,000 for essential breast cancer research. The
final total will be revealed at a cheque presentation ceremony on July 5th at Victoria Hospital in London.
The proceeds from ONERUN will support the essential work of both the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation (CBCF)
and London’s Pamela Greenaway Kohlmeier Translational Breast Cancer Research Unit.
Theresa was joined by over 250 runners for the first kilometre of her trek. As she crossed the finish
line in Sarnia, 100 kms later, friends, family and supporters were in abundance, either following in her
footsteps or cheering her on as she broke through the tape. Theresa fell into the arms of her 83-year- old
mother -- the pride and raw emotion evident on her mother’s face. At times during the run she was accompanied
for short distances by family members and members of the medical staff that supported her every step of the way.
The safety of Theresa and her ONERUN team was of paramount importance as they were supported at all times by
police services from London, Strathroy and Sarnia.
300 virtual runners who registered on-line to collect pledges were also there with Theresa - in spirit. Dozens
of encouraging on-line comments were submitted during the day and read to Theresa throughout her journey.
Since the inception of ONERUN, Carriere has promoted the event and breast cancer awareness through dozens of
speaking engagements including school boards, business clubs, London Life events, GoodLife events and other
breast cancer fundraisers such as a Rose in my Book.
Theresa’s determination and resolve was unwavering. “It occurred to me more than ever as I ran, that this
was about more than the 100 kilometres. We didn’t only raise incredible support and funds for breast cancer
research, but we succeeded in providing hope for so many,” said Theresa.
Please donate to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation at www.cbcf.org.
