Blow Away 5K and fun run returns for 8th year

Debbie Ryer is on a mission, and she has been for quite some time. The mother of two from Trussville wants to find a cure for cystic fibrosis, a nemesis she knows all too well. 

Her children — Hope, 17, and Zach, 15 — were both diagnosed with cystic fibrosis before age 3. They are among the nearly 30,000 Americans affected by the genetic disease, which significantly impacts the lungs and pancreas.

“Researchers are continually working to find a cure,” Ryer said. “People are doing so much better today, but it’s still not enough.”

According to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, the average lifespan for a cystic fibrosis patient is about 40 years. That number used to be much lower, as children with the disease in the 1950s rarely lived until the start of elementary school. 

Ryer, for her part, has been working to prolong that life expectancy even more. 

In 2010, she teamed up with two other local families affected by cystic fibrosis to start a road race fundraiser. The Blow Away 5K is now set to enter its eighth year, with its 2017 edition taking place Saturday, Nov. 11, at the Trussville Mall. Race proceeds directly benefit the Alabama Friends of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, a non-profit group Ryer helped form in 2013. 

“The money that we raise, for one, goes to research because all of us want to help try to find a cure,” she said. “We all want that for our children.” 

Since its debut, Ryer said the Blow Away 5K has grown considerably in regard to participation. The inaugural event drew around 100 runners, while last year’s event attracted almost four times as many participants. The 2016 race was their largest yet, Ryer said.

This year’s 5K will begin at 8 a.m. and will be followed by a 1-mile fun run at 9 a.m. The 5K race will be chip timed and contested along a USA Track and Field certified course. Cash prizes will be awarded to the top three male and female finishers. 

Registration costs $30 for the 5K and $10 for the fun run. There also is a $30 sleep-in option available for those who want to support the cause without actually participating. A commemorative race T-shirt will be included for the first 300 registrants. 

Packet pickup will be held at Heritage Hall the day before the race from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Race day registration will be available from 6:30 to 7:30 a.m. 

Last year, Nicholas Too of Arlington, Texas, won the 5K in 14 minutes, 49 seconds. Birmingham’s Erica Speegle was the top female finisher in 16:55. 

Apart from the event, Ryer said the Alabama Friends of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation accepts donations anytime. For more information or to register for the race, go to blowaway5k.com