March Madness is upon us and although fans will not be channeling Jimmy Valvano’s famous words: “survive and advance” for the wolfpack on the court,  Team V, a mission to raise money for cancer research, uses the words to help them get through the grueling miles of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Raleigh Marathon. 

Since the Rock ‘n’ Roll Raleigh’s revamp in 2014, the flagship charity of the race has been The V Foundation. Team V is part of The V Foundation’s mission to raise money for cancer research and brings together a diverse group of runners working to achieve this mission. The team is composed of all levels of ability and includes experienced runners, cancer survivors and even cancer fighters. 

“The camaraderie makes you feel like you are part of a special group of people. Everyone is about being fit and fighting cancer,” said Sherrie Mazur, vice president of communications at The V Foundation and Team V runner. 

Another one of Team V’s runners is Adrienne Core who graduated from NC State in 2010. Core became intimately acquainted with the effects of cancer at the age of 10 when her father was diagnosed with stage four Multiple Myeloma and given five years to live. Core’s father, Charles Core, outlived that diagnoses by almost three years, but lost his battle during Core’s senior year of high school. 

During her time at NC State, Core began to compete in local pageants to help pay for her college tuition. Eventually, during her senior year at NC State, Core was named Miss North Carolina and given the opportunity to compete in the Miss America Pageant.

Her achievement of Miss North Carolina and subsequent competition for Miss America gave Core the opportunity to speak at various locations across the state and country. Core said she chose The V Foundation as her speaking platform with the goal of helping raise money and awareness for the need of cancer research. 

“I chose The V Foundation as a way to share the story of what my family went through,” Core said. “I wanted to take my dad’s legacy and share it with others.” 

After spending a year as Miss NC, Core went on to get her master’s degree from NC State and was hired as a math teacher and volleyball coach at Middle Creek High School. She had just began running when she heard about Rock ‘n’ Roll and immediately decided she would participate in the event for as long as The V Foundation supported it. 

“There was no doubt in my mind that I wanted to be part of this race,” Core said. “As long as I am healthy and able, I will be at the start of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Raleigh every single year that they are a collaboration with The V Foundation.” 

Larissa Muchnick, coach of Team V, said that while many of Team V’s runners have similar stories to Core’s, each team member has their own reason for running.

“We have three runners on the team that are cancer survivors,” Muchnick said. “Another team member is running for her brother who is in the end stages of cancer, fighting for his life every day.”

Participating on Team V gives runners the opportunity to run and support those who are battling disease and are not physically able themselves. 

“There are so many people fighting terminal disease that would love the opportunity to get out on a beautiful Sunday afternoon and run,” Core said. “So, for those of us who are healthy, running feels like we are doing something for those who are fighting cancer.”

No matter what the reason for running is, each Team V member truly embraces the essence of what men and women such as Jimmy Valvano and Charles Core stood for, according to Core.

“I feel like my dad and Jimmy V were pretty similar,” Core said. “My dad was about pushing himself and doing your best. Not comparing yourself to others but only being the best you [that] you can be.” 

Each Team V marathon runner has an online donation page that explains their personal reasons for running in Rock ‘n’ Roll Raleigh and their fundraising goals. 

Rock ‘n’ Roll Raleigh will take place the weekend of April 8 – 10. The weekend will include a clinic on Friday evening for pre-race health and fitness, a 5K race on Saturday and the half and full marathon races on Sunday morning.

Another team member is running for her brother who is in the end stages of cancer, fighting for his life every day.”