Long road back

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Runners at the inaugural marathon last year. (Submitted photo)
Runners at the inaugural marathon last year. (Submitted photo)

Hare Chevrolet co-owner will get to run 5K after cancer battle

By Mark Ambrogi

The Noblesville Mini-Marathon was the brainchild of Courtney Cole, Hare Chevrolet co-owner and a dedicated runner.

Cole
Cole

However, when the first Noblesville Mini-Marathon was held last year, Cole was too weak to even watch from the sidelines.

In March of 2014, Cole learned she had stage 3 lung cancer. Cole has never been a smoker, but it caused a gene mutation.

“That was a total curveball,” Cole said. “I had just run a marathon in Florida in February.”

Cole had surgery to remove 25 percent of her lungs. Chemotherapy and radiation followed, but that has all ended since January.

“Right now I’m clean so we’re good to go,” Cole said.

Cole, 44, needs to build her stamina and will run in the 5K portion of the Noblesville Mini-Marathon, powered by Hare Chevrolet, on May 23. The race begins and ends on the Hare Chevrolet football field, where the Noblesville High School football team plays. Cole’s sister Monica Peck, Hare Chevrolet co-owner, helps promote the event.

This is Cole’s first race since her battle with cancer.

“(This 5K race) will mean something,” said Cole, who played basketball and golf at Indiana University. “But it will probably mean more when I eventually do another mini-marathon. Unfortunately, I can’t breathe like I would like to, but I’ll eventually get there.”

Cole, whose maiden name was Cox, likes the fact the event is at the start of the Memorial Day weekend.

“With the Indy 500 (the next day), everyone likes to party,” Cole said. “But it’s a fun thing to get up and get your exercise in and then go relax.”

The race was moved from Morse Beach this year to Hare Chevrolet where there will be more parking. Scott Cranfill is serving as the race director. The runners will start on the track of Hare Chevrolet Field and end by running on the football field.

“It’s a great venue and should be a tremendous experience for the participants,” Cranfill said. “I think it’s more scenic than last year. The downtown is going to great. Last year the half-marathoners got to go through downtown because they stared at the beach This year the half-marathoners, 10K and 5K runners all get to see that downtown area. It’s going to be a much better experience for the 10K and 5K runners because they are going to see more of the city and the great things Noblesville has to offer.”

Cranfill said there were 830 participants in last year’s races.

“We’re trending towards exceeding that number this year,” Cranfill said. “The vast majority of runners who compete in road races like this are recreational runners. There is only one winner, but there are thousands who want to run to live a healthier lifestyle. We want to get people out to raise money for the Boys and Girls Club (of Noblesville) but also just run or walk the 5K, 10K or half-marathon and live a healthy lifestyle.”

The races give out glasses with the race logo to the top three runners in age group categories.

The race will benefit the Boys and Girls Club of Noblesville. Cranfill said the city and Mayor John Ditslear have been big supporters of the event.

The first mini-marathon was won by Alex Stanek, from Indianapolis, in one hour, 17 minutes and 53 seconds. Sophia Liu, Muncie, was the overall female winner in 1:24:29.

A true fun run

A new addition to the event this year is a Kiddie run held on the football field. Children, ages 6 and under, will get to run the football field from the 10-yard line to the other 10-yard line and back. All those participants will receive a Noblesville Mini-Marathon football.

When: May 23, 7:30 a.m.

Where: Hare Chevrolet Field.

Cost: Entry is $69 ($75 on race day) for half-marathon, $44 ($50 race day) for 10K, $41 ($45 race day) for 5K and $15 ($19 race day) for Kiddie Run.

Registration, more information: noblesvilleminimarathon.com


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