Sociology major senior Sam Dorn (pictured above) loves helping her surrounding community. To extend appreciation to people who are fighting cancer, she plans to run four thousand miles cross-country (courtesy of Sam Dorn).
Fresh college graduates often look forward to taking it easy in the months following graduation. Sociology major senior Sam Dorn is doing just about the opposite of that: running four thousand miles across the country in just under two months.
Inspired by Geneseo’s annual Relay for Life event, which raises money for the services provided by the American Cancer Society, Dorn signed up with the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults to participate in their annual 4K for Cancer program. Participants raise money as they bike or run across the country to support the Ulman Fund’s programs such as the Young Adult Patient Navigation and the National College Scholarship program.
“I was super inspired … after last year’s Relay for Life and I decided I wanted to do more for people affected by cancer,” Dorn said. “I did some research and found the Ulman Foundation and the 4K for Cancer and I wanted to get involved with that.”
The cross-country journey is run relay-style, with each team completing between six and 16 miles a day and each member contributing a number of miles toward the team’s daily goal.
According to 4K for Cancer’s website, those hoping to participate in the run do not need to be elite athletes.
Instead, the program offers participants a 20-week training schedule and advises that they be able to run under a 10-minute mile. With the start of the run just a few months out, Dorn says running consistently is the key to being prepared.
“These next couple months is where the hard work kind of kicks in. Just being able to run two to three miles consistently is all they say you need to be able to do to do it,” she said.
The 4K for Cancer kicks off from Baltimore on June 21 and the team arrives in San Francisco on Aug. 8.
Even though her plans for after graduation are already set, Dorn won’t soon forget her time at Geneseo. Dorn joined Geneseo First Response, the on-campus student-run medical services organization, her sophomore year.
“I just love being able to help the community anywhere I go so I thought [joining GFR] was a good way to do that,” she said.
Throughout her years on the crew, Dorn has worked her way up to Crew Chief, meaning she’s the lead medic on any call she responds to. The position wasn’t easy to achieve, but Dorn credits her hard work and dedication for helping her get there. Being on GFR has taken up a large portion of Dorn’s time at Geneseo but it’s something she’s very grateful for.
“[My favorite thing is] the people. I’ve definitely found a little family within GFR,” she said.
As a graduating senior, like most other students, Dorn will miss the community and the sunsets in Geneseo most when she leaves. In anticipation of her long adventure ahead, she’s thankful for the four-year journey that’s coming to an end.
“I was able to find myself at Geneseo, discover who I am as I come into being a young adult,” Dorn said. “I do love being here so it’s going to be hard to be away for a while.”