Blow Away 5K to reward runners with cash prizes and chip timing
For the last six years, the Blow Away 5K has provided a chance for families and runners to work toward a cure for cystic fibrosis, or CF.
As the sole fundraiser for the Alabama Friends of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, the 7th Annual Blow Away 5K will be Nov. 12 at the Mall in Trussville.
New this year are cash prizes for the top three male and female runners, including a $250 prize for first place, $150 for second place and $100 for thrid place. Chip timing is new, too, and the route has been changed, so it is now a certified flat race course.
“We are looking to make it more of an incentive this year with the prizes,” said Jo Ellen Ives, vice president of development for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
The road race was started in 2010 by three families in the Trussville area with children with CF. Out of the nine children in these families, six have the disease, and they must undergo treatments and physical therapies to stay healthy. The families created the foundation in 2013.
“We have so much to be thankful for,” Ives said. “This year we are expecting about 400 runners. It’s just a fun, family-oriented day, and it’s a run with a reason.”
The Ives have four grandsons, three of whom have CF. Their daughter, Jennifer McCain, and her husband, Brent, live a life touched daily by the inherited chronic disease that affects the lungs, digestive and reproductive systems.
“When Jeremy, our third son, was born in 2010, we found out through newborn screening that he tested positive for CF,” Jennifer McCain said. “We were unaware of the genetic disease.”
Alabama didn’t mandate newborn screening for CF, which affects nearly 30,000 children and adults in the United States, until 2008.
After more tests, Jeremy’s diagnosis was confirmed, and the McCains’ older sons were then tested, too.
Jake, their oldest, is not a carrier for CF, but Justin, now 11, tested positive.
“The doctor then recommended they check for organ damage since Justin had gone five years without enzymes or treatment,” Jennifer McCain said. “His organs were fine. We give God the glory for this. Fast forward to the present: We have a fourth son who also was diagnosed with CF.”
A typical day for their boys consists of taking about 15 pills, including enzymes and vitamins, to help them digest their food properly. Because CF causes the body to produce an unusually thick mucus that clogs the lungs and obstructs the pancreas, they do chest therapies twice daily and go for clinic visits every three months at Children’s of Alabama.
“We stay away from germs and sick people,” Jennifer McCain said. “The boys run for exercise, and we have seen an increase in their lung function from running. Justin runs an average of 10 to 15 miles a week with his dad.”
Today, Jennifer McCain serves as vice president of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, and the entire family helps organize, participate and promote awareness for the Blow Away 5K, she said.
“I’m blessed with our boys and want to make a difference in their lives and all CF patients,” Jennifer McCain said.
For more information, go to
or its Facebook page at Alabama Friends of Cystic Fibrosis.