Running Toward Lifesaving Cancer Research

Every fall for 33 years, people in the Lehigh Valley have been lacing up their sneakers for the Women’s 5K Classic (W5K), a race that demonstrates the community’s support for those with breast and gynecologic cancers. The W5K mission is twofold: to promote fitness among women as well as to support women battling cancer and contribute to funding for programs and research.

This latter aspect is how W5K founding committee member Ingrid Gerber, director of admissions at Moravian Academy, and race director Wendy Body, builder and commercial sales at Wood Heat LLC, got introduced to Suresh Nair, MD, Physician in Chief with Lehigh Valley Topper Cancer Institute. Contributions from the W5K have specifically funded individualized treatment options for patients facing advanced breast and gynecologic cancers – particularly when standard therapies have failed. 

The first Cancer Institute program that benefited from the W5K was related to genetic mutations. From there, Gerber, Body and the grant committee – made up of doctors, lawyers and other voices from the community – kept their eyes on more innovations from Dr. Nair.

“We’re interested in proposals where researchers are looking for funding for novel, leading-edge treatments in the areas of female cancers,” Gerber says. In the case of the Cancer Institute, there are many successes that had their roots in the W5K.   

One was a woman diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer. Despite the cancer spreading to her brain, the patient underwent gene testing through W5K funding, which opened the door to a new treatment. This led to her final treatment in 2019 and an apparent cure, a rare outcome in advanced breast cancer.

Another patient was diagnosed with advanced ovarian cancer at age 70. Facing both resistance to chemotherapy and debilitating side effects, she was treated with a novel approach: immunotherapy to restore her immune system, followed by a drug that targeted the rare mutation driving her cancer. This treatment, not yet FDA-approved for ovarian cancer and supported with W5K funding, resulted in a complete remission – now nearly three years and counting.

The W5K race attracts as many as 1,000 runners and 600 walkers. It had already been established when Body had the opportunity to take over in 1993. Wanting to try to change the landscape of breast cancer after her mother developed the disease, she brought in Gerber, who was versed in event planning. Both women were runners and completed the race themselves in the early years.

“We cobbled together 12 women who were passionate about helping people in the community,” Gerber says. “We wanted to keep it local and know where the money was going. The event got bigger, and the women had a great experience.”

Gerber explains that the original group is still “completely boots-on-the-ground.” “We’re setting up tents and tables, meeting with sponsors and connecting with the submitters of the grants,” she says. “We work with hospitals to identify women or families who may need their rent, mortgage or expenses covered for two months while they’re getting treatment – there’s dedicated funding to help these women.”

While individual donations average $35 to $45, Gerber and Body have developed a family of sponsors who have turned the event into a major fundraiser. Over 33 years, the Cancer Institute has received about $800,000, while total contributions – to all recipients – since the race began are $4.5 million. And every dollar given to LVHN has been invested locally in cancer research.

“This event inspires me every year to constantly be thinking about others and ways to give back,” Gerber says. “It helps you focus on what you can do every day – and what’s important in life. You can come together with little experience and create something that’s life changing.”

Register for the W5K up until race day at the link below.

Women's 5K Classic