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History

Why start the Survivor Harbor 7?

In communities across the country and, indeed, around the world, athletes of all abilities and ages have opportunities to compete.  Running events include many venues, from competition in track and field to the ultra-marathon.  A race can be a vacation destination or a means to test the limits of mental and physical endurance.  Events have been targeted to different ages and abilities.  Events have fostered participation by relay teams, corporate teams, and teams of the same ages or sex. 

Major races and small-town events have become more inclusive.  Runners with special needs (vision-challenged, wheelchair competitors, amputees, special Olympians) are often highlighted and accommodated.

Some charities have focused on athletic events to motivate donors and participants. Pledges and donations have been secured by runners, walkers, bicycle riders, and swimmers to help generate funding for disease-specific causes.  Many events come to mind:  Teams for leukemia, Races for the Cure for breast cancer, biking for multiple sclerosis, walking for brain tumors, aids, and diabetes.  These events have led to a heightened awareness of illness. They also have served to motivate participants to train and become fitter and faster for a good cause.

Despite the proliferation of events which raise the public’s consciousness about specific afflictions or diseases, there have been very few efforts to include survivors of these life-altering conditions in a manner which fosters high-level competition.  There are age-group awards for men and women, however; there are no separate categories to honor the athletic achievements of survivors. Nor are there competitive venues for survivors to be measured head to head against other survivors.  Also, no one has ever kept a data base of “survivor records” in any distance, sport, or significant athletic accomplishment.

Lance Armstrong, cancer survivor and winner of six consecutive Tours De France, Karen Smyers, 2-time world triathlon Champion and Heather Hanscom, brain tumor survivor and winner of the 2003 Marine Corps marathon are exemplary survivors, who have regained elite athlete status after winning their respective battles against disease.  There are thousands of other survivors who should be encouraged to compete and be recognized for their efforts and accomplishments. 

Getting started

The Active Survivors Network and the Lance Armstrong Foundation took the lead in establishing a system for promoting high level athletic competition for survivors.  People who have been affected by life-altering conditions such as cancer, stroke, cardiac arrest, autoimmune disease and accident survivors will be eligible for awards by sex and age group.  We keep records of achievement by these survivors.  These statistics will serve to motivate other survivors to achieve higher levels of performance.  The data will also motivate more survivors to participate.  Highlighting the awards and rankings will generate public interest and greater awareness of survivors’ achievements.  It is our belief that this initiative will promote more widespread participation by the survivor community nation-wide.  Ultimately, this will impact the health and quality of life of survivors by encouraging greater levels of fitness and participation in competitive sports.

The Active Survivors Network has developed the Survivor Harbor 7 for survivors who run.  While it is open to all runners, this race is the first of its kind with divisions for survivors to compete head-to-head.  We hope it will encourage athletic achievement and promote greater levels of fitness and pride in the survivor-community.