East County laces up for run, renew

EAST COUNTY — Edward Justyk calmed his wife’s storm.

As Aurea Justyk ran through the “why me’s” and “how could haves?” following her breast cancer diagnosis in December 2000, Edward leaned on his experience dealing with cancer — prostate cancer with his father and breast cancer with his mother.

“I sort of knew what to expect,” Edward Justyk says with a shrug.

The experience, although draining, brought the couple even closer together.

“We appreciated more every moment that we live,” Aurea Justyk says in a thick Spanish accent she’s kept since moving to the United States when she was 36 years old.

And, Feb. 15, the couple will celebrate those moments again by renewing their vows after more than 21 years of marriage — this time wearing tennis shoes and T-shirts resembling a bridal gown and a tuxedo.

The Justyks will participate in the Brides Against Breast Cancer’s Run and Renew 5K event, which will be held at the Center for Building Hope, 5481 Communications Parkway, Sarasota. They’ll walk together before participating in a group vow renewal ceremony — complete with cake and a post-race “wedding reception.”

The race starts at 4 p.m., and registration costs $25 per person. The cost includes race registration, a T-shirt, a cupcake, a professional picture and the reception. Couples who do not wish to run can participate in the vow renewal ceremony, which starts at 5:30 p.m. at Center for Building Hope’s meditation garden, for $10 per couple. Center for Building Hope facilitator, the Rev. Robin Shapiro, will lead the ceremony.
Single runners also can participate.

BABC officials will award prizes, including gift baskets, two box seats to the Sarasota Open and an overnight hotel stay, among others — to race and raffle drawing winners.

Proceeds benefit Brides Against Breast Cancer, a nonprofit that sells bridal gowns at a boutique in Lakewood Ranch and at shows throughout the country to fund cancer support services and programs its parent organization, Center for Building Hope, provides.

“We thought of (renewing our vows on our) 25th anniversary,” Edward Justyk says. “It’s a nice thing to do on a Saturday afternoon.”

If You Go
What: Run and Renew 5K
When: 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 15
Where: Center for Building Hope, 5481 Communications Parkway, Sarasota
Details: Run/walk starts at 4 p.m. Wedding vow renewal ceremony starts at 5:30 p.m., with a post-race reception following.
Cost: $25 per person for race (includes race registration, T-shirt, cupcake, professional photo and post-race reception); or $10 per couple for renewal ceremony only (includes cupcake, professional photo and post-race reception)
Benefits: Brides Against Breast Cancer, a nonprofit that sells bridal gowns to fund programs for cancer patients. The organization is part of Center for Building Hope, a nonprofit that provides services to cancer patients and their families.
Info: bridesagainstbreastcancer.org

Contact Pam Eubanks at [email protected].