CAPE ELIZABETH, Maine (WGME) — Racing for a cure.
The 18th annual Tri for a Cure kicked off Sunday morning with more than 1,300 women swimming, biking, and running for a good cause.
Triathletes from near and far raced to raise money for the Maine Cancer Foundation.
This year’s event raised a record high of over $2.1 million.
Everybody was just cheering each other on and just one big female family out there,” Ann Eisenhart, a breast cancer survivor running in Tri for a Cure, said.
The money raised goes towards cancer prevention, early detection, and patient support in Maine.
For the many cancer survivors who participate in the race, it shows their true strength.
In December 2021, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. The girls surprised me, and they started their first Tri in ’22 and have been doing it ever since,” Ann went on.
Lindsay and Miranda Eisenhart have been a part of every Tri for a Cure every year, ever since their mother Ann was diagnosed with breast cancer.
“I took it very hard, just seeing her go through that, she’s the most positive and unselfish person, just to be diagnosed with breast cancer. It’s just so hard, and to not be able to do much about it, just to see her go through it, was just really tough. I definitely struggled with knowing that my best friend was going through chemotherapy and cancer. In general, just really hard,” Lindsay said.
After rounds of chemo, radiation, and a mastectomy, Ann is now cancer free, and on Sunday, she joined the Tri for a Cure for the first time, surrounded by the people she loves.
“It was amazing. It makes you just wanna run as fast as you can and get to the finish line because you know you’re there right around the corner, and they’re waiting for you to hold your hand, [to] run across the line with you,” Ann said.
Ann is one of many survivors who crossed the finish line on Sunday, hand-in-hand with family, and a smile on her face.
“She’s like my best friend, so just being able to do it with her, my best friend, and someone who fought so hard, and he was so unselfish throughout the whole process of her having to go through chemo and surgery and all of that, it’s just, it’s so much fun to be able to do it with her,” Lindsay said.
“She’s my total inspiration, and I feel insanely lucky to be able to be here, to be healthy, and to be able to do this, but most of all, that’s she is healthy and able to be here,” Miranda said.
Prior to this year, the Tri for a Cure has raised more than $24 million for the Maine Cancer Foundation and continues to be the largest fundraising triathlon in Maine.
“I’m one of the really lucky ones, just want to make sure that everybody can be a lucky one,” Ann said.
