HEALTH
Do the LoCo Motion
Three days. Thirty miles. A thousand memories. LoCo Motion a dream come true for founder By Laura Morgan
It came to me on a cold February morning as I was chugging along Coligny Beach, training for a long-distance breast cancer walk in Florida.
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ouldn’t it be great, I thought, to have our own pink-ribbon fundraiser right here at home against the backdrop of the Atlantic Ocean and the Lowcountry’s beautiful tidal marshes, winding creeks and live oaks? With Hilton Head Island as the big draw, it could become a destination event that lured participants from all around the Southeast looking for an excuse to spend a few days on our sandy shores. As the idea simmered in my head over the next several months, I refined the concept for my fantasy fundraiser. The plan was simple. Three days. Thirty miles. And give them a thousand memories. A 10-mile-a-day trek would be a challenge, but much more doable for the general public than the grueling national events. Each day would feature a different route, introducing participants to some of our area’s most beautiful settings and communities. It would be open to runners and walkers, and participants would have the option of signing up for one, two or all three days of the event. Instead of requiring entrants to raise money, they could simply pay a registration fee to participate. Two years later, LoCo Motion hit the pathways of Bluffton and Hilton Head Island. The inaugural event, held the last weekend of September in 2011, drew approximately 325 participants and raised $25,000 for several local and regional breast cancer-related organizations. Fueled by participants’ rave reviews and the
generous support of our business sponsors, specifically Beaufort Memorial Hospital, I made it my mission to make LoCo Motion a household name and double our numbers for year two. We put in the hours and we hit our mark. And raised almost $50,000 to boot. This year’s goal is to pack the beaches and pathways of the Lowcountry with 1,000 LoCo runners and walkers. To attract more tourists and bring a little economic boon to the area, we’ve teamed up with regional partners like Northside Hospital in Atlanta, Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, and Greenville Health System to promote the event in these key tourist markets. And it is clearly working. Registrations are pouring in from these cities and we expect that over half of our 2013 LoCo participants will be tourists -- toursists spending money in our community while raising money for our shared fight to end breast cancer. But taking LoCo to the next level will require the experience and expertise of a professional, someone who is focused solely on sustaining and improving the event and promoting it statewide and beyond. As proud as I am to be celebrating the third year of LoCo Motion, I have taken it as far as I can go. It’s time to move it out of my living room and put it in the hands of an executive director. With the proper staff and financial support of sponsors, LoCo Motion will become a signature event like Charleston’s Cooper River Bridge Run, drawing thousands of participants to our end of the Lowcountry every September. We’ve taken the first steps. It’s time to let this baby run. M
The third annual breast cancer walk/ run fundraiser will be making tracks through the Lowcountry Sept. 26-29, raising money for the fight against breast cancer. Participants will hoof it along three different 10-mile routes on Hilton Head and Callawassie islands. Each leg of the event will be followed by a post-race party with food, drinks and live music. The pink-athon will begin Sept. 26 with the LoCo Community Kick-Off Party and Packet Pickup Party from 5:30 to 9 p.m. at Skull Creek Boathouse. The following day, participants will take off from the Omni Hilton Head Oceanfront Resort for a 10-mile trek through several of the island’s most beautiful neighborhoods and along Hilton Head’s wide, hard-packed beach. On day two, the pack of pink will move to Callawassie Island, the first community in South Carolina to be designated a Community Wildlife Habitat by the National Wildlife Federation. Then it’s back to Hilton Head Island on day three for an all-beach course. Participants have the option of running or walking one, two or three of the event days. Those who complete all 30 miles will be awarded a commemorative medal. LoCo Motion is the signature fundraiser of Carolina Cups, a Lowcountry nonprofit organization dedicated to funding breast cancer education, screening, treatment and clinical research. This year’s proceeds will benefit Beaufort Memorial Hospital’s Keyserling Cancer Center, Beaufort Jasper Hampton Comprehensive Health Services, MUSC Hollings Cancer Center, Volunteers in Medicine, and other nonprofit breast care providers. To learn more about LoCo Motion or to register for the event, go to www. dothelocomotion.org or call 843-8155255. Registration forms also are available at all CoastalStates Bank branches.
LoCo Motion founder Laura Morgan holds up Courtney Cox’s hand after crossing the finish line. Courtney’s mother, Barbara, did the first LoCo Motion as a survivor but died one month before the second event. For competing in the race, Morgan gave Courtney two medals, one for her and one for her mother Barbara. The event also retired bib No. 1 in Barbara’s honor, saying she will always be No. 1 in their hearts.
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