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More than 700 take part in CelebratePink 5K

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Doug Rasp of Bedford waits with flag in hand for his wife Terry to reach the finish line during the Celebrate Pink 5K Road Race and Walk starting and ending at Little Harbour School in Portsmouth Saturday. Terry is a 5-year cancer survivor.Ioanna Raptis/iraptis@seacoastonline.com

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September 16, 2012 2:00 AM

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PORTSMOUTH ? Just before the CelebratePink 5K Road Race and Walk began Saturday morning, Wendy McCoole looked up and saw some threatening clouds over the starting point at Little Harbour School.

McCoole, executive director of the event, said she asked her mother to "part the clouds."

TOP TEN finishers

Men

1 - 17:27 - David Marchefka, 29, Portsmouth

2 - 18:11 - Kevin Bosma, 43, Rye Beach

3 - 18:24 - Kevin Stanton, 25, Monroe

4 - 18:32 - Lewis Chamberlain, 42, Eliot, Maine

5 - 18:45 - Christopher Erikson, 32, Kittery, Maine

6 - 19:18 - Joel Brown, 37, Lebanon

7 - 19:52 - Ryan Johnson, 38, Rochester

8 - 19:54 - William R. McElroy Jr., 36, Portsmouth

9 - 20:20 - Fermin Hernandez, 38, Rochester

10 - 20:23 - Mark Rosen, 32, York, Maine

Women

1 - 20:42 - Madelyn Steeves, 45, Middleton, Mass.

2 - 20:42 - Amy Block, 24, Stratham

3 - 21:32 - Robyn Rubin, 40, Salisbury, Mass.

4 - 22:01 - Mary Sanker, 26, Milford, N.J.

5 - 22:35 - Rachel Dodier, 37, North Hampton

6 - 22:52 - Kayla Schneider, 12, Dover

7 - 23:04 - Ashley Hennen, 27, Kittery, Maine

8 - 23:07 - Geri Clifford, 59, Rye

9 - 23:12 - Emma Whall, 12, Dover

10 - 23:17 - Lynne Muscato, 48, Dover

Her mother, Joanne Dodge of Dover, lost her battle with breast cancer in February at the age of 76. Dodge was a founding board member of www.BreastCancerStories.org, a Portsmouth nonprofit organization founded by McCoole. The road race is one of the organization's fund-raising events.

"It is pretty amazing," McCoole's husband Kevin said. "It's raining north and south of here, but the sky just opened up and it's sunny now."

More than 700 runners and walkers left the school at 9 a.m. to make their way through downtown.

Among them was the entire University of New Hampshire women's ice hockey team, led by captain Kailey Chappell of Toronto, Ontario.

Another team, the Rack Pack, from Bedford, had five members. One of them was Terry Rasp, a 5-year cancer survivor.

Her husband, Doug Rasp, cheered on the runners and walkers with a giant flag and donned himself with strings of necklaces that had white beads and pink ribbons.

"This is very emotional for me," he said. "We've also been in the Susan G. Komen races, twice in Boston and once in Washington, D.C."

A 12-member team from Seabrook called the Neighborhood Breast Watch also took off from the starting line.

"My grandmother died from breast cancer," said Patrick Smart, one of the team members.

Planet Fitness managers from across the state also formed a team.

"This is just such a great cause," Regional Manager Chris Holmes said. "It's great to give back to the community."

Event volunteer Linda Muise of Dover, dubbed the "Registration Queen," said 630 participants preregistered and another 80 signed up yesterday.

McCoole said this was the fourth year for the CelebratePink 5K.

"All of our proceeds go to support local patients on the Seacoast of New Hampshire and Maine through BreastCancerStories.org," she said.

McCoole was teary-eyed when she talked about this year's event being held in memory of her mother.

"She had breast cancer four times," she said.

Working with hospitals along the Seacoast and the Cancer Care Center of York County, BreastCancerStories.org helps patients with gas cards, dinner gift certificates, household chores, a gift bag of comforting items like relaxation CDs, and more.

The Web site is also a way for patients to read, write and share their own journeys with loved ones and one another.

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Source: http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20120916-NEWS-209160320

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