SLIDESHOW

The pink and purple T-shirts stood out because of the bright colors and because there were so many folks wearing them.

Teacher and field hockey coach Carrie Roarty wore one, as did the dozens of students, colleagues and friends from James River High School who were at the Susan G. Komen Richmond Race for the Cure race and walk yesterday. .

"It has been absolutely amazing," said Roarty, describing the support from students and others as she undergoes treatment for breast cancer.

Roarty's Racing Rapids, chiefly organized by students Sara M. Mehfoud, Rachna Pathak and Brittany Roots, was the second-largest team in the race, with 259 members. They raised more than $10,000 for the event, which supports breast cancer research, education and awareness efforts.

"I played for Mrs. Roarty on the field hockey team for two years," explained Mehfoud, 17. "This past year, Rachna Pathak, Brittany Roots and myself organized a dance-athon at James River that raised over $8,000 for breast cancer, and Mrs. Roarty was our teacher sponsor.

"Well this year, she was diagnosed with breast cancer herself. . . . I just asked her one day if it would be OK if I got a team together to run this race for her, then talked with Rachna and Brittany, and then with our principal, Mr. Titus, and created a team."

"It's been a great thing to fill my time and keep my mind off what is going on with me," Roarty said. "I am just incredibly touched by the support. I laugh, because one of the first things my doctor asked was, 'What kind of support do you have?' I look around and I can barely hold back the tears, because it is just awesome."

The 5K race started near Kanawha Plaza in downtown Richmond. A half-mile kid's race, a wheelchair race, and a Survivor's Parade of Pink preceded the race. A 1K fun walk started after the 5K.

Inspired by Joanne, a group organized at Collegiate School in honor of a teacher there, was the largest team, with 333 members signed up.

Race organizers estimated 9,800 participants and nearly $1 million raised this year.

A lot of the teams wore coordinating T-shirts, but others, like a group from Woodlake United Methodist Church, also had matching hats. The group of about 25 wore pink Dr. Seuss hats and participated in memory of Lynn Dillingham.

Organizers say that close to 75 percent of race proceeds will go to local programs determined through a competitive grant process.

Grant recipients include groups such as the Legal Information Network for Cancer, an organization that helps people with cancer who are facing financial, job-related or legal issues.

"They gave us money to expand our outreach into the Petersburg-Southside areas to help breast cancer patients and their families with their nonmedical issues," said Ronne Jacobs, LINC president.

"We have people that have lost their jobs because they have cancer," Jacobs said. "So we help them try to secure that job, get it back, work with the employers."

Race sponsors included Virginia Physicians for Women.