At times this spring, a Stay Out of the Sun run would seem rather ludicrous.
What sun?
But if past years are any indication, it will be sunny again.
That said, the ninth annual Stay Out of the Sun 10K and 5K will be run Friday starting and finishing at Holy Spirit Catholic Church.
In eight years, some $237,000 has been raised, with the proceeds to Melanoma Research & Education at the Mayo Clinic Cancer Center.
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The race has gotten bigger and bigger over the years. An average of 1,000 runners and walkers have participated in each of the past three years. Through Wednesday, some 750 have registered.
Due to space limitations, next year's race will move to nearby Rochester Lourdes High School.
"Holy Spirit has been great for us,'' said race founder and director Tim Burriss, "but we are running out of space, which is a good problem I guess.''
Eighteen years ago Burriss was diagnosed with malignant melanoma, a type of skin cancer that when detected late, is incurable.
He underwent several surgeries to remove the malignant cells.
He then decided to sponsor a race designed to "promote awareness of the dangers of sun exposure and support melanoma research.''
"The research has improved every year,'' said Burriss. "We're seeing some tangible results all the time.
"The big thing, the survivor photo we take before the race every year keeps getting larger. And that's a good thing.''
