By Sam Falzinger

There is one event our family takes part in each year that puts aside soccer games and the usual Saturday morning routine, although I would do just about anything to get out of doing 10 loads of wash! So pull out your running, or walking, shoes to participate in the eighth annual Run for Kathy (www.run4kathy.org) benefit race Oct. 14 at scenic Allen Pond.

"Why?" you ask. Because this run is worth getting up for on a beautiful fall Saturday morning to punish your body when you could be lying in bed with a cup of joe, reading the paper in your PJs and fuzzy-pink bunny slippers or spending your morning buying more stuff at the many Bowie neighborhoods in the Garage Sale Capital of the World.

There are many reasons for you, your friends, your family members, college roommates, high school sweethearts, and those you barely know to come out and support this wonderful Bowie event. Not to mention, that since my last column about growing up in Bowie, I have heard many of you reminisce about the "turtle" that most of us sat on in front of People's Drug store in what is now Marketplace. Well, it and some babies are at the playground at Allen Pond. It would be great to get a picture of you or your kids sitting on that turtle and remembering when.

Let's start with the fact that the Run For Kathy has raised over $62,000 for cancer research over the last seven years. And as an added bonus, as if you need one, 100 percent of the money raised goes to the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins. Events include a 5K race, 1-mile kids run and 1-mile family walk where all the kids get a ribbon and a balloon. Look for the infamous "Cat in the Hat Lady" giving out candy and toys as well. Or you can just come out and cheer on the participants. All cancer survivors get to run for free.

This event also has other activities, such as face painting and a piñata for the youngsters and young at heart. There will be prizes for the speedy runners in each age group and door prizes for us mere mortals. With music playing in the background by HOT 99.5, your time is sure to be a couple of minutes faster.

Some of the prizes include: gift cards to local eating establishments, brunch for two at the wonderful Grace's Fortune, free flying lessons from Freeway Airport, Baysox tickets, medals, and Under Armour gear - always a crowd favorite. New for this year is an online silent auction with the prize being a dinner with ESPN celebrity, Tim Kurkjian, from Baseball Tonight and SportsCenter (www.run4kathy.org/auction.html). You don't need to be present to win the auction. Watch for next year's big money-maker … dinner with the Fatzinger clan plus a free shirt that says, "I survived dinner at the Fatzingers'." It's sure to be a collector's item.

Our favorite part of the event is the postrace food. Some of the tasty nibbles include Popeye's chicken, fruit, cotton candy, Panera Bread, and much more. We normally take in more calories than we burn on the run.

As with any event, the more the merrier, so all are welcome to run. Our family is always looking for activities that we can do together. I will be the old lady pushing the baby stroller as Rob and the kids pass me laughing. So, please come out and run with me or cheer me on to the finish.

The real reason for dragging our bodies out to run is to support two wonderful Bowie families doing something to pay tribute to a family member. Kathy Popp Long died from cancer in 1999, leaving three daughters and a husband. Kathy herself was a Bowie gal through and through. She and her five siblings moved to Bowie in 1962 and were all Bowie High graduates.

The Popp family has been involved in many Bowie activities including Bowie Boys and Girls Club, Boy Scouts and PTA. There is even a plaque at City Hall honoring the late Skip Popp, Kathy's father, who gave his life to save another.

The race organizers, the Long family, have been in Bowie since 1972. All five daughters and one son have also graduated from Bowie High. There are still about a dozen extended family members living in Bowie. Kathy was their cousin.

Kathy, who was a teacher at Mount Rainier Elementary School, has a playground named in her honor at that school. Ask anyone who worked with her and they will tell you how wonderful she was.

Kathy was a neighbor of ours and always had a smile on her face and a kind word. She was a great mom and, from what we hear, she was a supberb physical education teacher. She was very active in Bowie activities, especially the Bowie Boys and Girls Club.

So please come on out and support this wonderful Bowie event, or at least get a good laugh at me pushing the baby for 5K. We'll see you Oct. 14 at Allen Pond. The gun goes off at 9 a.m. for the 5K, while the kids run and family walk start at 8:45. Don't forget that there is no charge for the family walk. To register online, visit www.run4kathy.org. Those who preregister will get a water bottle and a T-shirt. You may also get information about the race, including pictures from prior years, online. Log on after the race to see your or your friends' times, or see pictures of Rob running in his Richard Simmons wannabe shorts. Last-minute registration the morning of the race is from 7 to 8:30. If you can't make the race, consider making a donation at www.run4kathy.org/donation.html. The event's ultimate goal is to raise over $100,000, so feel free to make a donation of any amount in honor of a loved one or friend who has or is battling this terrible disease.

We hope to see you there ... we're off running now.

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