Parsippany Troy Hills Teacher Runs Seventh 5K for Cancer

On Aug. 21, family and friends of a Parsippany Troy Hills teacher will run a 5K through the Yankee Stadium to raise funds to support cancer research.

Tracy Carroll, a fourth grade teacher, has participated in the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation’s Runyon 5K since 2010. With her team, Team Rhino, she’s raised $18,488 for cancer research. There are 38 members on Team Rhino, including four other Parsippany teachers, making it one of the biggest teams to participate in the Runyon 5K.

Carroll first started running in the Runyon 5K after she lost her father to esophageal cancer in 2008.

“That first year without him was an unbelievably painful one for my family, and as the first Father’s Day approached, I knew I had to find a way to channel the overwhelming sadness and anger I was feeling,” Carroll said. “A way to try to relieve that feeling of helplessness, to make a difference, to do something to help people who were still fighting the battle.”

Carroll discovered the Runyon 5K on the Internet and knew it was the perfect way to achieve peace with her father’s loss, as well as raise money for research. She was drawn to the fact that all the money raised goes directly to cancer research and was amazed by the work their scientists do. Plus, her father was a big Yankees fan, so the Runyon 5K provided the perfect venue for Carroll and her family.

Team Rhino started with 22 people and now has 38. Carroll’s team gets bigger every year, with her family members, friends, and colleagues eager to help support her and the cause.

“Unfortunately, the number of loved ones we have lost to cancer since we began has also grown, but that simply fuels our desire to continue to participate and do our part to help battle the disease,” Carroll said.

This year is the eighth annual Runyon 5k. Since 2009, participants in the Runyon 5K raised more than $4 million for cancer research.

Last year, more than 2,700 people from more than 20 states, as well as Germany and Canada, walked and ran in the 5K. Whether the participants are survivors, friends and family of someone suffering, or simply baseball fans who want to support a great cause, every step they take in the Runyon 5K counts.

The Damon Runyon Cancer Foundation has raised money for cancer research since it’s start in 1946. Damon Runyon was a New York journalist who began his career covering baseball and he often covered Yankees games. He died from throat cancer in 1946.

“Initially, this event was a coping strategy for me, a way to channel my sadness and fight back against a disease that has taken so much from the people I love, but it has grown to mean so much more to all of us,” Carroll said. “It has become a cherished family tradition, as important to us as Christmas holidays and birthday gatherings. Through the Runyon 5K, we smile, we laugh, we heal, but, most importantly, we make a difference.”

Photo Credit: Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation

Pictured in photo from left to right: Melanie Ellis (Littleton School), Tracy Carroll (Eastlake School), Meghan Smith (Lake Parsippany School), Vicki Mastrangelo (Eastlake School), Kelli Costa (Eastlake and Intervale School)