'Race for the Cups' makes breast cancer statement

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Jenn Powell walked until her calves balled up like rocks inside her legs; she walked until blisters the size of quarters bubbled on the backs of her heels and tops of her toes, she walked herself right into the emergency room.

"It was that important to me; important to make a strong statement," said Powell, who along with six other NASCAR women walked 39.3 miles in Charlotte, N.C., during the weekend to raise money for and promote awareness about breast cancer, a disease that plagues one woman every three minutes.

Up the ante

Reed Sorenson will auction off both his autographed breast cancer awareness helmet and firesuit. The auction ends Monday. To bid, visit www.reedsorenson.com.

Additionally, Sorenson will donate $10,000 for a win, $5,000 for a top-five finish, $1,000 for a top-10, $4,100 for a pole and $12.62 for each lap completed -- totaling $4,100 -- if he completes all of the scheduled 325 laps.

Proceeds from the pledge and auction will benefit The Breast Cancer Research Foundation and Project Pink House.

"That means along our two-day walk, 182 women will be diagnosed," added Powell, as she and friend Heather Kincel examined the bottom of their feet and touted their blisters as symbols of victory.

All bonded by their careers in NASCAR, some working within the sport's marketing arm while others directly with drivers, the crew of women appropriately dubbed "Race for the Cups" raised $26,385.00 for the cause.

More than that, they raised female camaraderie amongst a male-dominated industry and gained admiration from their male peers.

Chip Ganassi Racing driver Reed Sorenson is one of them.

"I was impressed at what they did, walking all that way," said Sorenson, who is running a pink paint scheme this weekend at Atlanta. Sorenson's mother, Becky, also is a big supporter of breast cancer awareness and pledged money to team Race for the Cups.

"I know how hard that was, but their feet will heal," he added. "And at the end of the day they can say they achieved a major accomplishment for breast cancer awareness, a cause that is really important to me and my team."

So while the men of NASCAR battled on the track, these seven women of NASCAR battled for breast cancer alongside hundreds of other women, nationwide, directly and indirectly affected by the disease.

Together for two days, fueled by the loss of a loved one or inspired by a survivor's story, the women granted new meaning to the phrase "give until it hurts."

Their journey began at 7 a.m. Saturday. Team Race for the Cups laced up their tennis shoes and donned pink crew shirt that read "Friends of Renee."

"Renee," as in Renee Bua, works trackside in NASCAR's Cup hauler as a series coordinator and is a breast cancer survivor.

As a survivor, she has a greater appreciation for the simple things in life and the value of female friendship.

"It's an incredible feeling," Bua said. "As far as my feeling for what Jenn and the girls are doing for the cause, I am so proud of them and thrilled to be able to call them my friends."

In order to participate in the walk, each team member was required to raise a minimum of $1,800 and at the end of the event, team Race for the Cups placed sixth in the chase for the most funds raised out of 10 teams; Powell ranked 4th as one of the top fund-raisers.

After the first day of walking, Nadine Rauer, 38, director of national accounts for Motorsports Authentics, was greeted by her husband and 4 year-old son Will.

Both arrived at the event's makeshift tent city where the women walkers doubled up in tiny blue tents.

At 7 a.m. Sunday, the team would complete the final leg of the 39.3-mile marathon.

"I'm just so excited and proud of my friends who stuck it out [Sunday] after more than 26 miles, this has really brought us together for a good cause," said Rauer, as Tina Turner's Simply the Best played over the loud speaker in the tent city decorated by pink boas, bras and banners as tokens of cheer for the walkers and survivors.

Heather Kincel, public relations manager for Juan Montoya, said the women on the team all pushed one another to persevere through the pain both days.

They sang Disney and 80s rocks songs, made up cheers, linked arms; whatever it took to keep them from giving up and crawling into the medical van that followed the pack.

"I wanted to quit after my first blister popped, but one in every eight women has a chance of developing breast cancer and I was walking in a group of seven women," she said. "It was like walking in a missing man formation ..."

The walk, organized through Avon, raised an estimated $2.3 million and drew a crowd of nearly 1,100 walkers.

Team Race for the Cups began training for the event 12 weeks ago. The women would pair up at various NASCAR race weekends to walk when their schedules permitted.

Toni Schermerhorn, human relations manager at Hall of Fame Racing, said she and Powell, NASCAR's public relations representative, walked a little more than 13 miles at the most recent race weekend in Talladega and also several miles before the race weekend in Charlotte.

"I think we all surpassed our expectations in this, but we weren't surprised by the outpour of support from the NASCAR community," she said.

"Everyone in the garage knew what we were doing and supported us all the way, from drivers to members of the media and team owners and track officials, they made it possible for us to do this."