by Larry Altose, communications manager, Ecology Northwest Regional Office
Caroline Corcoran, a wetland specialist with Shorelands and Environmental Assistance Program at Northwest Regional Office, never expected she’d run up mountains to support a colleague. But, that’s how to train for the Beacon Rock 25k Trail Race, which she’ll run on June 12th.
She’s running up the rock to support Andy McMillan, the science and policy manager for the agency’s Wetlands Technical Team. Andy lives with a rare form of cancer called multiple myeloma.
Caroline ran cross-country and track in high school, and continued in college with cross-country. Years after college, she stopped for three years due to several running injuries. Then she read Born to Run by Christopher McDougall, and ended her hiatus two years ago.
“I started listening to my body instead of listening to doctors,” she said. “I run just three times a week, max, mostly on soft surfaces. On the other days, I cross train. Variety keeps me healthy and injury-free.”
She ran her first marathon in October 2010 and decided that in her next big race she’d like to support somebody else. Andy seemed like a natural choice.
He’s been at his current post since 1991. Andy provides support, leadership and guidance to the wetland staff and is recognized by local governments, agency staff, policy makers and consultants as the agency’s voice on wetland policy and science.
“Andy can listen to conflicting viewpoints and create solutions that people agree on. While a consultant, before joining Ecology, I heard only respect for Andy from other consultants and local governments,” said Caroline. “When I came to Ecology four years ago, it was easy to see why Andy was so well respected and liked.”
Andy was diagnosed in 2005 with multiple myeloma (MM), a very complex cancer of the plasma cells in the bone marrow, considered incurable. Andy’s doctors judged him a poor candidate for a stem cell transplant, the primary treatment, because he has a very aggressive form of the disease. Fortunately, recently available chemotherapy drugs control MM’s growth in most patients.
Andy has fared better than his doctors originally expected. Even so, he has a significantly compromised immune system and must continue chemotherapy to control the MM. Unfortunately, MM adapts very quickly to resist chemotherapy agents. He hopes to can keep the MM in check until new drugs in late-stage trials become available in the next year or so.
“I chose to run the Beacon Rock race to support Andy and the multiple myeloma research because I heard that the Columbia River Gorge is one of Andy’s favorite places,” Caroline said. “Also, to me running trails mimics life. You have ups, downs, get rained on, see sun, get muddy, fall down and get back up. Trail running feels real to me.”
The Beacon Rock race will feel especially real, with its elevation gain of 3,700 feet over 25 kilometers.
"Supporting Andy puts my training in perspective," Caroline muses. "When running up a mountain feels hard I think of Andy. I take vitamin pills to stay healthy. He takes pills to stay alive. I believe that supporting this life-saving research helps find a cure for Andy. I am grateful that I have the ability to help somebody else by doing something that I love."
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