Lacing up their tennis shoes and stretching their muscles in anticipation, thousands of mothers, daughters, friends and family members approached the starting line, preparing to “Race for the Cure.”In teams and as individuals, more than 9,000 Baton Rouge residents participated in the one-mile fun run and the five kilometer Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in an effort to promote breast cancer awareness and education.”This is the biggest race we’ve had in the 13 years since we’ve had it,” said Alicia Chatman, race chair of the Susan G. Komen Baton Rouge affiliate.Seventy-five percent of the proceeds from the race will go toward the Komen foundation in Baton Rouge for education and funding of different programs such as screening and treatment. The other 25 percent will go toward national research, said Melissa Aucoin, Komen Race for the Cure Series manager.In addition to registration fees and money from sponsors, there was an increase in donations from last year, Chatman said.”We’ve increased from $31,000 last year to $53,000 as of now,” she said. “But donations will be accepted all week.”Booths, including the Komen marketplace, sold shirts with “fleurs for the cure” — a fleur de lis designed as a tribute to the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure — created by Stacey Uffman Blanchard.”I decided to do this in honor of my mother-in-law who had breast cancer,” Blanchard said.Several University student organizations, including the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority and the Zeta Tau Alpha fraternity, volunteered in addition to numerous individual volunteers.The Zeta Tau Alpha fraternity, the first national sponsor of the Race for the Cure’s National Series Breast Cancer Survivor Recognition program, sponsored their philanthropy — the survivor’s tent, serving a variety of refreshments.The organization also provided “in memory of” and “in celebration of” T-shirts for survivors.”We want to honor the survivors,” said Meredith Eicher, co-chairman of the survivor tent. “We want them to network and meet other survivors because there is commonality among survivors.”Members of the Eta Kappa chapter of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority at the University served not only as volunteers, but as race participants.”We are remembering one of our charter members who recently died of breast cancer,” said Chastity Johnson, president of the Eta Kappa chapter. “We are here to do what we can to help cure [breast cancer].”Several of the volunteers participated as a group. Team Yo, a four-year-old group, started out as a group of six and has grown to more than 31 members.”It’s a family affair now,” said Pat Yoches, a 12-year cancer survivor.—-Contact Alice Womble at [email protected]