On May 12, second year animation major and cross country team member Genesis Henderson won the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in Atlanta for the second year in a row.
Henderson said, “My biggest inspiration was my great grandmother, Mama Cooke, that was a cancer survivor. She’s a hero to me. She always told me to do my best. This was one of those times I wanted to give back and do it for her.”
The Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure started in Dallas, 29 years ago. Since the start, it has been recognized as one of the world’s largest and most successful 5K fitness events. The objective is for runners to participate in a fun and competitive race to raise public awareness for breast cancer.
The vision started when Nancy G. Brinker promised her dying sister Susan G. Komen that she would do everything in her power to end breast cancer forever. Now the movement includes the largest network of breast cancer survivors and activists fighting to save lives, empower people, ensure quality care for all, and help science find a cure. Events such as the Komen Race for the Cure have raised more than $1.9 billion, making it the largest source of nonprofit funds dedicated to finding a cure for breast cancer worldwide.
The race was a 3.1-mile event. Last year the race brought in approximately 1800 participants, and this year the number was much exceeded.
From the start, Henderson jumped ahead to take an early lead. With no other runners around, he crossed the finish line with an impressive 17:12 time, averaging approximately 4:50 a mile.
Henderson said, “I wanted to do it for the school too. I wanted to give it some positive publicity.”
His training was ruthless. His regular workouts included long, uphill runs and weightlifting with the cross country team.
He added, “Another big part was forcing myself to eat healthy, which is difficult to do at the Hub.”
Henderson didn’t start out as a runner. Running was an undiscovered talent. In high school, he played basketball. His friends encouraged him to join the track team his sophomore year. When he switched, he instantly dominated. His first day at practice he smoked the team veterans.
SCAD Atlanta wasn’t Henderson’s first choice of college. But when he took an interest in becoming an animation major, he decided to attend SCAD.