Bangor to host Race for Cure> Race chair Baldacci also planned celebrity dinner and clinic

For the past decade, the Race for the Cure road racing series has been the single largest fund-raiser for breast cancer in the nation. Maine has never hosted one of the races, but that will change on Oct. 11 when Bangor becomes the site for the state’s first ever Race for the Cure.

Rosemary Baldacci, the chair of the Race for the Cure in Maine, said she wants the race to be about more than fundraising for breast cancer. That’s why she has organized a “Women Breaking Barriers in Sports” dinner and basketball clinic to raise money for the cause.

“The race is much more than a race. The dinner is much more than a dinner. It’s about raising aspirations of girls in the state. Whether it’s running a 3.1 mile road race or shooting baskets, it’s important that girls feel good about themselves,” said Baldacci.

The dinner, scheduled for Sept. 12 at Norumbega Hall in Bangor, will feature members of the 1976 silver medalist women’s Olympic basketball team, the ABL’s New England Blizzard, and the University of Maine women’s basketball team.

The clinic, set for Sept. 13, will feature instruction from the Olympic, professional, and college players.

Baldacci said Olympians Anne Myers, Gail Marquis, and Mary Ann O’Connor have already committed to attend the dinner and the clinic. Pat Summitt, the head coach of the reigning NCAA champions at the University of Tennessee, has agreed to make a phone call during the dinner and will attend if her schedule Nancy Lieberman, the first woman to play professional basketball, has been contacted and may attend. UMaine coach Joanne Palombo and her team captains have also committed.

Elizabeth Mitchell, the first woman to serve as Maine Speaker of the House, will host the event. Senator Susan Collins and Congressman John Baldacci will also be in attendance.

Baldacci said she is awaiting confirmation from Senator Olympia Snowe and Governor Angus King.

“Maine is rare in that it has two woman senators. We want to show girls they can feel confident about themselves in all areas,” said Baldacci.

The two hour dinner begins at 6 p.m. and will feature a question and answer session. Tickets are $5.50 for students and $10.50 for adults.

The clinic is set for 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the UMaine field house and costs $5, or $3 with a ticket stub from the dinner.

“We wanted to keep the cost as low as possible. It may not bring in big money, but it’s good visibility for the race,” said Baldacci.

Before Bangor could host a Race for the Cure, Baldacci had to submit a written proposal to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation in Dallas. She said she had to enlist the backing of area hospitals and health care agencies, a process which took more than a year.

Baldacci was motivated to secure a Race for the Cure in honor of her friend O’Connor, whose partner has breast cancer.

The race is scheduled for Oct. 11 and will begin in the parking lot across from the Bangor Public Library, following a 5K route on Kenduskeag and Valley Avenues.

For more information about the dinner, clinic, or race, contact Baldacci at the Bangor Athletic Club at 947-2582.