By
Benjamin Kim
Arizona Daily Wildcat
More than $75,000 raised by the Dick Tomey Pony Express
More than 1,200 people of all ages participated in and $75,000 was raised by the Dick Tomey Pony Express Saturday morning
The funds raised will go directly to the University of Arizona Center for Disability Related Resources, said Janet Olson, events coordinator for the center. Both numbers broke records for the event, which began in 1995.
"We were pleasantly surprised," Olson said. "We're just so blown away by the support from the community."
This is the first year that the Pony Express was held on Family Weekend, said Dave Herr-Cardillo, senior coordinator for adaptive athletics and physical support at the center.
"We've definitely drawn registrations from Family Weekend activities," he said.
Last year about 900 people helped raise $50,000 for the center.
The money helps fund adaptive athletic programs such as wheelchair basketball, which receives no funding from state grants, Herr-Cardillo said.
"Every year after [the race], I talk to the football players about the tremendous dedication of wheelchair athletes," Dick Tomey, UA football head coach, told the crowd of runners before the race. "We hope to continue to grow this project so that one day it's the largest of its kind in the United States."
Tucson car dealer Jim Click and UA President Peter Likins started the 5K wheelchair race and run with a few words.
"I am deeply impressed by our adaptive athletics program," Likins said. The idea of combining a fun run with a wheelchair race is meant to build awareness of wheelchair athletes, he said.
"It's really impressive to see that these wheelchair athletes are superb athletes," Likins added. "They're real fierce competitors. You come to an event like this, and you feel respect and admiration for these athletes."
Cheri Blauwet, a molecular and cellular biology junior who won the women's division of the wheelchair race, left last night to compete in the Paralympics in Syndey, Australia.
"I was really excited about coming out today to have a strong performance to give me confidence before going to the Paralympics," Blauwet said.
Blauwet, recently spent more than a week in the hospital because of a bone infection in her hip, but didn't affect her ability to compete.
"I felt a little bit weaker, but it's not too drastic, and I still feel pretty good," she said. Blauwet used the event as one last training race before going to Australia, to compete in the 100, 200 and 400 meter races.
"This is a real nice event," Kevin Ronson, a special education and rehabilitation graduate student. "It's got a good, positive vibe to it."
Ronson won the men's wheelchair quad division for the second year in a row.
Recruits from both the police and fire academy represented the largest groups at the event.
"It's been a tradition that the TFD (Tucson Fire Department) recruits take part in the event, and it's just a way of showing the community that we want to help," said Barrett Baker, a firefighter recruit and a UA graduate. "That's the reason we have jobs - helping the community."
The fire department's recruits have run in the event since 1998, Baker said.
The Southern Arizona Law Enforcement Training Center also had 85 first-year recruits participating in the race.
The groups of recruits from both academies ran the race in unison, along with a cadence.
"We thought as a team we would give some of our funds back to the community by helping out the Disability Resource Center," said Jenna Fischer, a communication graduate student. Fischer, president of the UA Tricats triathlon team, participated in the event along with 15 members from her team.
Winners of the races and those who raised $500 or more earned a chance to win a free one-year lease of a 2001 Ford Mustang convertible, donated by Jim Click.
Aaron Larkins, who said he has attended the UA off and on for the past five years, won the key to the car after raising more than $12,500 and picking the key which opened the door to the car.
"It's a secret," Larkins said smiling concerning his method of collecting donations.
More than 20 different businesses sponsored the event, and many of them came out to the race to pass out free food and drinks to race participants.
"We just wanted to add something to the race," said Brian Riese, director of operations for Breugger's Bagel Bakery. "It's just something good for the runners to start their day off."
Aside from the race participants, about 200 volunteers, mostly UA students, helped set-up and run the event, Olson said. "We wouldn't be able to do this without the volunteers or the corporate sponsors."
