Running for Awareness: The Outpacing Melanoma 5K

This week on The Back of the Pack Podcast: Second Wind, we sit down with the people behind the Outpacing Melanoma 5K to talk about a race that means far more than pace, place, or finish time. Kelly Klover shares the deeply personal story that led her to found the Outpacing Melanoma Foundation after losing her husband Richard to melanoma just seven weeks after his stage 4 diagnosis, turning heartbreak into fifteen years of action and advocacy. Dr. Gary Doolittle helps break down the realities of melanoma, explaining why early detection matters, how this cancer can spread quickly, and why runners, in particular, need to pay closer attention to sun safety. We also talk honestly about how easy it is for runners to ignore sunscreen, shrug off sunburns, and assume skin cancer is somebody else’s problem, until it suddenly is not. On the race side, first-year race director Anthony Olson previews what runners can expect on May 3rd in Corporate Woods, including a family-friendly atmosphere, a strong community feel, survivor stories, and a race-day environment built around both remembrance and hope. This year’s event also adds a finisher medal for the first time, along with free skin cancer screenings, making it a race that gives back in more ways than one. We highlight the warrior wall, the kids trot, the post-race celebration, and the many ways this event brings families and teams together for a cause that hits close to home. More than anything, this episode is a reminder that protecting your skin is part of protecting your running future. If you’ve ever brushed off sunscreen, skipped a skin check, or needed a reason to show up for a meaningful local race, this conversation is for you. On May 3rd, we are not just running a 5K, we are helping outpace melanoma together.