BANGOR – When the last runners and walkers left the starting gate of the Komen Maine Race for the Cure, only a handful of volunteers and spectators stayed behind on the waterfront – including Elaine Strout.

As the cheers and clapping faded, Strout, 75, sat quietly on Front Street in her brown canvas chair balancing a fluorescent pink sign between her knees. The portrait of a stunning brunette was pasted in the upper left corner of the poster board, which read “In Memory of my daughter Melanie Randall. Mel lost her 6 year battle on June 25, 1999. We miss you!”

Strout of Bradford walked in the 1999 race in Randall’s memory with her other daughter, Sheree Tillson, but this year she was forced to watch from the sidelines. Strout had surgery just two weeks ago, and, with objections, she listened to her children and did not walk with the rest of the family Sunday.

“This picture was taken in 1994,” Strout said, admiring the photo of her daughter who died of breast cancer at 37. “This was the first time all her hair grew back. It fell out three times with all the different chemo treatments.”

The 11th annual Komen Maine Race for the Cure attracted more than 3,600 runners and walkers to the Bangor Waterfront on Sunday morning. The race is affiliated with the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, which was founded in 1982 to combat breast cancer.

The Bangor event raised at least $170,000, and once race costs are covered, 75 percent of the money stays in-state to fund breast cancer education, screenings and treatment, according to Sally Bilancia, race director. The remaining 25 percent is sent to the national foundation headquarters in Dallas, which awards grants to institutions performing breast cancer research around the country.

The Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor received a $250,000 grant from the Komen Foundation in 2006. Ann Peaston, a research scientist with the Jackson Lab, is using the money to investigate the origins of breast cancer in mice. The Jackson Lab is well-known for using mice in research for therapies and cures for major human diseases.

In this year’s Race for the Cure, survivors, family members and friends raced as individuals or groups. Some sported homemade T-shirts with witty team names.

“The Breast of Friends” team walked in celebration of Jill Goodwin, 53, of Belfast, who battled breast cancer last year. Goodwin’s cancer was caught early, detected in a mammogram before it was large enough to recognize by touch, she said. Last year at this time she participated in the walk while receiving daily radiation treatments, Goodwin said.

Diane Jackson’s fan club screamed, “We love Mama J” when she crossed the finish line Sunday morning. The support prompted a last-minute jog from Jackson, her daughter Leah, 16, and several young friends who participate in Brewer athletics programs.

“These are all the girls I’ve pretty much adopted,” Jackson said, adjusting the tight pink cap she wore to cover the fine hairs that were growing back on her head.

Jackson, 41, was diagnosed in April, and she has three remaining chemotherapy treatments, including one scheduled for Tuesday. While Jackson said she really wished to have her eyebrows, eyelashes and flowing red hair back, she is grateful to have the support of her family.

“She even offered to shave her head,” Jackson said, pointing to the blond braids of her daughter. “But I wanted her to have it for senior pictures.”