Benefit race (slight vent)

[SAHDad]

So, Saturday I ran a Set the Pace 5k, which was to benefit prostate cancer. It was an inaugural event, but it had a good turnout, and I did well - setting a PR (well, a Vibrams PR - I'm still about 30 seconds slower over 5k than with conventional shoes, but I'm catching up), and taknig first in my age category.

My vent is not with the course, or with anything about the event. It's about the way that the local media ignored it. Next month, we'll have all sorts of breast cancer walks, runs, crawls, pogo stick competitions, whatever - and the paper will dutifully report on each one. Heck, there are a couple non-BC races next month that the paper is likely to cover. But an inaugural prostate cancer race? Meh, who cares.

(And that's why I get a little annoyed when someone says "Well, what are you doing to raise awareness of PC, instead of just complaining about breast cancer awareness season?" I can call, email and comlain to the paper - but a report a week late is in no way equal to a report and pictures the next day.)

 

[pensgirl10]

Personally, I get just as annoyed when people complain about breast cancer awareness. Because I remember when all attention went to men's concerns such as heart problems (overwhelmingly more common in men at the time). Eventually a group of women and the men who love them got tired of that and took it upon themselves to raise awareness. Some editor somewhere didn't just wake up one morning and say, hey, let's talk about breast cancer! In my mother's day NO ONE talked about it other than women whispering in the kitchen. Even after people started learning about mammograms and self-exam, my mother-in-law wouldn't get screened, nor her daughter, because they were from the generation that didn't talk about it. Yes, the pink ribbon gets annoying sometimes when it's used in a gratuitous way but look where it's gotten us. Most women survive now.

If you want that for your cause, do something about it. Keep pushing and don't quit till people hear you. Try calling the newspaper in advance to make sure they know about it. Be prepared, say "you covered breast cancer events in June, July, and October, and while I appreciate that...." Many papers have a free calendar of charity events. A place to upload your own photos of events around town to their sites. If I can come up with these ideas in a few seconds you should be able to do the same.

 

[SAHDad]

As I said in my post - I can call, email etc - but them reporting on it a week later won't do much good.

The paper did know about it in advance, since they printed a one sentance blurb about it (in the 2 paragraph blurb about prostate cancer events).

Anyway, my original thought was something along the lines of "If a benefit race is held, and no one cares about it, did it really happen?" As you said, it took men and women pushing awareness (of BC) for it to start making a difference. But it seems like, when something like prostate cancer or heart health* is an issue, a lot of women say "Well, you need to do something about it". IOW, women's health concerns = men and women should be concerned; men's health concerns = men should be concerned, and women can complain that men are complaining.

* Random fact - more women than men die of heart disease, yet, per capita, more men than women die of heart disease.

 

[buckeyecinderella]

It is frustraiting. Just keep at it. One day, this event and others that are currenting getting little or no publicity, will be picked up and covered. It just takes someone promoting it to the right person and the combination has not happened yet.

I think the BC awareness is excellent, but one thing that bothers be about that movement is because men get BC too. Perhaps that pink ribbon should have a stripe of blue running though it!

 

[pensgirl10]

Anyway, my original thought was something along the lines of "If a benefit race is held, and no one cares about it, did it really happen?"

Most races aren't covered at all. I'd assume the "benefit" part means that the race earned money and advertising it after the fact isn't going to change the amount.

As you said, it took men and women pushing awareness (of BC) for it to start making a difference. But it seems like, when something like prostate cancer or heart health* is an issue, a lot of women say "Well, you need to do something about it". IOW, women's health concerns = men and women should be concerned; men's health concerns = men should be concerned, and women can complain that men are complaining.

I do care. I haven't done a race for prostate cancer OR breast cancer but that doesn't mean I don't care. It means that I can only do so many and I can only support so many causes. The reason I said that you should do something about it is because you're the one who is interested in the cause. Not because I'm a woman and it doesn't affect me.