NEW YORK, NY – Organized by the athletic department's SAAC (Student-Athlete Advisory Committee), 10 student runners took part in the 9^th annual Colon Cancer Challenge Foundation Run this past Sunday morning.  The 4-mile race was run through NYC's Central Park with temperatures in the mid-40's.  There were over 2600 runners who participated in the race. 
 
CCCF is a non-profit organization dedicated to a “world without colorectal cancer” through awareness, prevention, screening, and research.   The group is known for participating in public awareness events in order to build awareness of genetic risk factors and the importance of annual screening and prevention, while also raising and disbursing funds to programs that provide screening services for uninsured clients and assist them in obtaining services and support to maximize their ability to overcome cancer.
 
The student-athletes that partook in the event were all part of a newly founded student-run group that is dedicated to raising awareness about colon cancer in the Jewish community.  Started just recently by Yitzchak Frankel of the men's fencing team, Kooma Israel hopes to raise awareness of the prevalence of the number 2 cancer in America by educating the Jewish community on the risks associated with not being tested and early prevention.  The group hopes to work closely with CCCF and run local programs in the near future.
 
Yeshiva cross country runner Oliver Sax placed 11^th overall in the event, including a 2^nd place finish amongst the other runners in his age group.  Sax finished in 23:39 with a 5:55 pace.  Another cross country runner, Stephan Ronay, placed 27^th overall and 4^th in his age group, running the course in 24:55.  The other runners to take part in the race were Jed Segura, Sarah Mizrachi, Eli Fuld, Adam Weiss, Yehuda Safier, Natan Koloski, and Yitzchak Frankel.