Thanks to all who came out and supported the 2022 Seacoast Cancer 5K!

What a magical weekend! We held our first Community Celebration where we ‘Lit up the Night’ in honor of your families and loved ones, and also the providers who often become like family along this journey. Race day was electric with energy and positivity! It felt SO GOOD to be back in person and to be reminded what this event is all about and why we do it. We cannot thank our participants, corporate sponsors, volunteers and Wentworth-Douglass staff for your support! You all make a difference in the lives of Seacoast cancer patients who rely on the world-class care they receive at the Seacoast Cancer Center! See you in 2023!

2022 5K Race Results available here!

Get Ready to RUN. RAISE. RALLY. And ROCK!

Join us for the 2022 Seacoast Cancer 5K, one of the largest road races in New Hampshire, and step up in the fight against cancer on the Seacoast! This event is a celebration of life and the life-saving work of Wentworth-Douglass Hospital’s Seacoast Cancer Center. Choose from in person or virtual registration options, rally your friends and family and make a difference for patients and families impacted by cancer in our community.

• VIRTUAL EVENT: Saturday, September 17- Saturday, September 24, 2022
• COMMUNITY CELEBRATION: Saturday, September 24, 2022
• IN-PERSON RACE: Sunday, September 25, 2022

Same Mission. Same Race. NEW PLACE!

As we bring the community back together after TWO YEARS of a virtual road race, we anticipate 2022 to be bigger than ever before. To accommodate the growth of this event, this year, the in-person festivities will be held at the Seacoast Cancer Center – Portsmouth located at 121 Corporate Drive, Suite 100 in Portsmouth, NH. Join us for the same block-party feel at our Portsmouth Outpatient Center located on Pease Tradeport – and bonus – a much flatter 5K course!

2022 Course Map

Race Impact

The funds raised from this event underwrite the Supportive and Wellness Services at the Seacoast Cancer Center. Proceeds from this event are critical to the hospital’s ability to provide these important services to patients and their families.

Cancer Didn’t Stop…So She Never Stopped Advocating

Kimberly Laderbush is the Honorary Patient of the 2022 Seacoast Cancer 5K.

Kimberly Laderbush has a unique perspective and appreciation of the Seacoast Cancer Center. She has been both the caregiver … and the patient.

In 2013, Kimberly’s mother was diagnosed with breast cancer after her annual mammogram detected a lump. At the time Kimberly had just had her second child and she was scared. “I needed my mom to help me be the best mom I could be!” Thanks to the amazing doctors and the exceptional care she received at the Seacoast Cancer Center, Kimberly’s mother is now nine-years cancer-free!

Fast forward to June 2016. Kimberly had just returned from a run and felt a lump in her left breast. She was only 32 years old with a husband and two young children at home. “It was alarming and after my mom’s experience, my instincts told me to get it checked out.” While nothing was showing up on scans, Kimberly insisted on being seen by the same trusted doctors who cared for her mother for a second opinion. After some initial testing and as the lump continued to grow, Kimberly was diagnosed with Stage 2B breast cancer. The doctors told her she I saved her own life through her continued self-advocacy.

“The Seacoast Cancer Center is the reason my mother and I are healthy and alive today. They are the reason I run in the Seacoast Cancer 5K every year. And they are the reason I’m sharing my story.”

Being diagnosed with breast cancer at age 32 was traumatic for Kimberly. But what she remembers most, was not just the care, but the compassion.

“From the doctors to the nurses to the housekeepers, everyone I encountered touched my heart. They rallied around me and my family and gave me the strength to keep going. I felt like I had the best team. I trusted them completely and I felt safe at the scariest time of my life!

Kimberly says when you have an experience like that, you aren’t just grateful. You also want to spread the world about early detection and treatment so more lives can be saved. “Cancer has given me a passion and fire to use my story as a platform to be an advocate to help others.”

Kimberly is at every Seacoast Cancer 5K, raising money and awareness for the Seacoast Cancer Center and the world-class, lifesaving care available close to home. “It’s my favorite race of the year!” Every step she runs, and every step she takes in life, takes Kimberly farther on her cancer journey: as a daughter, as a patient, as a wife and mother to two young children she wants to see grow up … and now as a survivor.

Thanks to the excellent care at they received at the Seacoast Cancer Center, today Kimberly and her mother are not just surviving, they are thriving. Look for Kimberly at this year’s Seacoast Cancer 5K on Sunday, September 25^th  – now in Portsmouth on the Pease Tradeport!

5K Philanthropy At Work

Feature: Survivorship & Wellness Program

The Survivorship & Wellness Program at the Seacoast Cancer Center supports both the patients and programmatic needs, but also the staff. These needs include acupuncture and massage, visits with a nutritionist, and even exercise classes to boost energy and strength. This program also underwrites the cost of key services not covered by insurance such as education for treatment, nutrition counseling, prevention strategies, and patient navigation. It also supports basic needs for those who cannot afford transportation, gas cards, groceries, or other necessities during treatment. The vision for this program is to provide patients with an array of services that address the medical realities of cancer, such as potential for late-effects, job loss, and financial burden, as well as educational and wellness projects to help patients and those closest to them thrive. “Survivor” is no longer a term used to describe someone who has undergone cancer treatment, but instead represents a story unique to every cancer patient. With the help of a specialized Nurse Navigator position, patients are guided through the healthcare system from diagnosis through survivorship. Thanks to funding from the Wentworth-Douglass Foundation, the future of this program has been guaranteed for several years to come.

To learn more about the many ways the Seacoast Cancer 5K makes a difference, please visit our Impact Page.

A Look Back at 2021

We Ran. We Raised. We Rallied. WE ROCKED!

Cancer doesn’t stop… and neither did we! Just two weeks before race day, the 2021 Seacoast Cancer 5K flipped to virtual. But that didn’t slow us down! Last year’s virtual “Anytime 5K” took place over two weeks in September, with over 1,488 participants! The event raised a record-breaking $400,000 thanks to generous donors like you!

Every dollar raised by the Seacoast Cancer 5K stays in our community and allows patients to live their lives to the fullest while receiving cancer treatments all the way through survivorship. Your support allows the multi-disciplinary care team at the Seacoast Cancer Center to provide complimentary supportive, wellness and integrative therapies to care for the mind, body and soul of patients and their families. These services offered through the Survivorship and Wellness Program make an incredible impact for patients every day!

The White Mamba Returns!

We are thrilled to announce that Brian Scalabrine, NBC Sports Boston Celtics color analyst and former Boston Hoops favorite, will be joining us for the fourth year as our Honorary 5K Team Captain! Brian, also known as “Scal” and “The White Mamba”, is always a fan favorite bringing an energy and enthusiasm for this cause that is truly contagious.

At the 2020 5K Closing Ceremony, Brian stated, “You have to remember that this isn’t just about that day. This race is about cancer survivors and helping them remain positive. I remember my guy Kenny, a young man who battled cancer and lost his leg. With his prosthetic, Kenny participated in the 2019 event and from last year to this year, he completed the race in half the time. That is unbelievable because he has to be motivated to do it every single day and Kenny, we all appreciate the work you put in.”

Since 2018, Brian has helped rally participants in the Seacoast Cancer 5K in the fight against cancer on the Seacoast. With the White Mamba on our team, we know that 2021 will be another amazing success!

Make a difference for patients and families impacted by cancer throughout the Seacoast with your sponsorship today. Check out our Sponsorship Packet – opportunities range from $250 to $25,000. By supporting this event, your company gains visibility and exposure to 13,000+ email subscribers and 16,000+ social media followers. To secure your sponsorship, contact Judy Pinkham at Judith.Pinkham@wdhospital.org or 603.609.6678.