Mother's Diagnosis Inspires Daughter's Creation of the '5k Rack Race'
When Midlothian resident Laurie Strasser was diagnosed with cancer in 2009, her daughter Erin created the '5k Rack Race' to support her mom and raise money to fight the disease.
By: Nan Turner
In 2009, when Erin Strasser was 12 years old, her mother Laurie was diagnosed with breast cancer. Erin knew she wanted to help her mother and give others a way to show their support, but she couldn’t quite figure out how. After weeks of brainstorming Erin came up with the 5k Rack Race.
“I came up with the race idea based off the goal of wanting a bunch of people involved and raising the most money possible,” Erin said of the event, which takes place on Sunday, October 21st near Robious Landing. “When someone is diagnosed with cancer, no one knows what to do, so I figured this would be a fun way for people to do their part.”
With a vision and a lot of planning, Erin put her idea into action.
“My favorite memory is that first start the first year of the race,” Erin said. “It was awesome to see that it all paid off.”
Prior to the race Erin had expected to raise around $1,000. However, as the day progressed she could tell she was going to surpass her goal – but she could have never guessed by how much.
She ended up being able to deliver a check for $8,500 to the American Cancer Society.
“I came home with the bin we asked people to put their money in and I spread it all on the kitchen table and sat and looked at it,” Erin said. “It was so incredible. I was shocked.”
The Rack Race is now in its fourth year and has raised a little over $26,000 to fund cancer research, which is Erin’s primary motivation for putting on the event.
“There are so many diseases and most have cures,” Erin said. “I’m honestly shocked there’s not a cure for cancer yet. All the money we raise goes to funding research that we hope will find a cure. That’s the main goal.”
Although Laurie Strasser is now cancer free, Erin has no plans to end the Rack Race anytime soon. Outside of benefiting a great cause, she just has fun with it.
“One year this guy had his beard and hair dyed pink and he brought his dog which was also dyed pink,” Erin said.
This year in particular will be very exciting for Erin, now 16 years old, as her entire field hockey team will also be participating in the event.
“They’ve been really supportive and are all going to do the race in their spirit wear for James River to support our cause,” Erin said. “It’s amazing. I couldn’t ask for a better team.”
Over 300 people are expected to take part in this year’s Rack Race, and Erin says runners and walkers should expect a family-friendly event with contests and a cookout.
She also hasn’t forgotten her motivation for starting the race, which was looking for a way to support her mother and dealing with having a loved one diagnosed with the disease. She knows many are facing the same situation she was four years ago and wants them to know they’re not alone.
“It was a huge problem for me. I stopped talking to people and wanted to be strong for my mom,” Erin said. “Talk to someone about it instead of bottling it up because it leads to more problems in the future.”
Even though she may now be a race expert, Erin is still awed by some of the things she witnesses.
“The biggest lesson I’ve learned is to never underestimate the power of a community,” Erin said. “And how strong people in it are.”
To register for the 5k Rack Race you can download and fill out a form at http://rackrace-5k.com/. Forms can then be mailed to the Strassers, whose address is on the page. Potential racers can also fill out the form, scan it and email it to Erin at [email protected].