After eight months of training and fundraising, the 16 women who make up the Below the Black Belts team were a little taken aback to learn that organizers of a recent cancer run didn’t believe their team name was true.
“They didn’t believe we were all black belts,” said a laughing team member Kristine Sharpe. “What were we going to do, karate after running 10K?”
The team members, all from Desa School of Karate, have all earned between first degree and fifth degree black belts. They agreed last November to take part in the Alberta Cancer Foundation fundraiser and awareness campaign about cancers below the belt. The event was held last weekend in Edmonton.
“We are 16 women who train together and compete against each other, but we wanted to work and find our strength outside of the dojo,” said Sharpe. “Cancers below the waist have directly affected many of us. That means we have mothers, fathers, sisters and brothers affected by those cancers and some of us have to be screened regularly.”
The funds go towards research, treatment and care for patients affected by the seven cancers: prostate, testicular, ovarian, cervical, uterine, and colorectal and bladder, which the event supports.
“Those are the cancers no one talks about and that’s why it’s the Underwear Affair,” said Sharpe.
The black belts team, aged between 27 and 52 years, wore white bra tops and white shorts, tying the scanty outfit together with a black belt, which made it warm for running. Four team members ran 10 kilometers and the rest walked five kilometers.
“The costumes were the best part of the event. It was like Halloween and everyone was dressed in underwear. It was hilarious. One guy was dressed as a watermelon and his whole team was Fruit of the Loom,” Sharpe said.
Below the Black Belts raised more than $18,000, the second highest amount of cash for the fundraiser. A total of $787,000 was raised in the Underwear Affair.
“It really brought a lump in the throat. The very last runner who came in (from another team) was a cancer survivor. We were told that 30 per cent of all newly diagnosed cancers are below the waist,” Sharpe said.
