STILLWATER NEWSPRESS, April, 20, 2007
By Ryan Steele
STILLWATER, Okla. — Not a day goes by that Karen Hancock doesn’t think of Jan. 27, 2001.
On that night, her husband Will was one of the 10 members of the Oklahoma State family who died in a plane crash as the Cowboy basketball team was returning from a game in Colorado.
“There was a definite period after the crash where I questioned if there would ever be a day I did not cry,” Karen said. “I questioned if I could ever be happy again. The day finally came when the answer was yes. However, the happiness is different — I just live life with a different perspective now.”
Will — along with Kendall Durfrey, Nate Fleming, Daniel Lawson, Denver Mills, Bill Teegins, Bjorn Fahlstrom, Brian Luinstra, Pat Noyes and Jared Weiberg — will be honored Saturday when OSU hosts the first Remember the Ten Run. The race will include a 10-kilometer, a 5-kilometer and a 1-mile fun run.
“I think it’s an excellent idea,” Karen said. “I know (founder and chair) Kerry (Alexander) and his group have put in a lot of work to make this happen and I’m so thankful that he came up with the idea.”
Alexander was inspired to create the event after reading a copy of the book, “Riding with the Blue Moth,” that was given to him at the 2005 All-College Classic by Will’s father, author Bill Hancock.
In the book, Bill refers to depression as the “Blue Moth” and said one of the ways he dealt with his grief was through exercise and moving forward — including riding his bike from the Pacific to the Atlantic.
Alexander, a 1986 O-State graduate who lost his father during his sophomore year of college, has said that proceeds from the Remember the Ten Run will be directed toward OSU counseling services to provide grief support services for those who have lost a loved one.
“If students need (counseling), it can be very helpful and beneficial,” said Stacey Reed, the public relations chair for the event. “It can make things a whole lot easier. We want to provide the funds for those students that don’t have the money or the insurance to pay for those services.”
Karen added, “Everybody has trials and tribulations in their lives. Sometimes, when you’re away from home as many college students are, you need some kind of support system. Our university can help provide that for people who may not be aware that they have access to that kind of help.”
Reed said more than 550 runners have registered for the race, which is set to begin at 9 a.m. on Saturday at Gallagher-Iba Arena. Former OSU men’s basketball coach Eddie Sutton is an honorary chair and will be speaking at the event.
Karen, an assistant coach for the O-State soccer team and last season’s Co-Big 12 Coach of the Year, was originally set to compete in the 10k, but underwent surgery about a month ago. However, she said she still plans to participate in the 5k.
“I’m not going to be breaking records or anything — I’m just looking to complete it,” Karen joked. “I’m really happy to be a part of it and I hope it turns into a really solid annual event.”
For more information or to register for the race, visit www.remembertheten.com.
If you are interested in volunteer or sponsorship opportunities with this annual event,
please e-mail Kerry Alexander at: kerrydonalexander@hotmail.com
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