News
Washington runner Hickey discovers life of substance through illness
By Steve Kelley
Seattle Times staff columnist Interview Jon Hickey Oct 27, 2005
The small lump on his scalp, Jon Hickey believed, wasn’t supposed to be dangerous. He just didn’t like the look of it and wanted it removed. It was more cosmetic, he thought, than medical.
On that spring day in 2004, he was going to the doctor for a simple procedure to remove a cyst. He figured the lump would be cut out, and quickly he would be back on the track and back to the envious life of a student-athlete.
But the minutes in his doctor’s office droned too slowly, and the look Hickey defines as “surprise” on the doctor’s face was troubling. The local anesthetic was wearing off and Hickey was starting to feel pain.
The lump, it turned out, was a rare form of skin cancer called dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans. A locally aggressive cancer, it already was attacking not only his skin, but the muscle tissue around it.
Hickey, a junior at the University of Washington who runs cross country and track, felt his idyllic college life thrown into a spin. He had cancer. He would need surgery, and every cancer patient goes into surgery feeling a little like a soldier going into battle alone.
As he waited out the month before surgery, Hickey tried to keep his life as normal as possible. He continued running, continued going to class, but he carried the worry with him like a suitcase full of bricks.
“Everything I did, the only thing that was going through my head was that I had cancer,” Hickey said. “It was a total shock to my system.”
The procedure, called Mohs Surgery, lasted 10 hours and Hickey was awake for the entire process. Surgeons would cut out a chunk of skin on his scalp all the way to the bone, then look at the sample under a microscope to see if there was cancer on the edges.
Hickey survived five rounds of that. Before each round he would be injected with a local anesthetic. His head would be wrapped and unwrapped. He would be stitched and unstitched.
And after every round, the wound would be cauterized, and he would be aware of the acrid smell of his burning skin.
“It was pretty brutal,” he said. “It sounds a little cheesy, but I think being a runner really helped me. After every round, I would think like I was running a track race and say to myself, ‘OK, one more lap.’
“I knew I wanted to quit, but I knew I had to keep going. Now, every once in a while, I do think to myself when I’m really in a lot of pain during a workout or a race, ‘Wow, I’ve been through a lot worse than this.’ ”
Hickey is healthy and running again, and the chances of the cancer returning are microscopic. He pulls back his hair to reveal a scar about the size of a silver-dollar pancake. It is the daily souvenir from the greatest victory of his life.
“Because I have the scars on my forehead, I think of the cancer every day and quite often,” Hickey said. “I’m always self-conscious and always trying to make sure my hair’s covering it. It’s just a scar. I don’t know why it’s that big of a deal. I look in the mirror. I take a shower. I’m always looking at it. It just reminds me of bad memories. The surgery was very, very painful.
“One reason I’m still out there running now is to prove something to myself,” he said. “I had these goals coming to college – break 14 minutes for the 5K, run under four minutes for the mile and compete in the NCAA championships – and I think, deep down, I want to prove that after all the hardships I’ve been through, I can still do that stuff.”
Obviously, cancer changes everyone it touches. It makes people audit their lives and rearrange their priorities. Hickey still is fiercely competitive. But his cancer has enlarged his world.
He volunteers at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance. And he is the founder of the Tri-Cities Race Against Cancer, a 5K race in his hometown of Richland. In its two years, the race has raised more than $6,000 for the Lance Armstrong Foundation.
“I’ve just started to really value other parts of my life, and I’m willing to make sacrifices to do stuff that I wouldn’t do before,” he said. “And I’m a lot less stressed when I run.”
And then Jon Hickey left to go running and resume his idyllic, and now even more substantive, life.
Steve Knox interviewed by John Santana – Feb 2, 2007
Annual Run of the Mill slated for July
John Santana
Mill Creek Enterprise editor
Steve Knox sat in his office chair, twirling his glasses in one hand, watching a DVD of last year’s Run of the Mill the same way a new father watches footage of his child’s birth.
A smiled graced his face as he saw footage of runners gliding across the North Creek Trail’s pavement. He seemed to get misty-eyed as he saw the smiles on the faces of participants.
“I’m so proud of what we accomplished,” he said.
Knox is the man who, when the Run of the Mill seemed in jeopardy last year, came in, formed a sponsorship group and pulled off a reborn version of the race in a short period of time. The race turned out to be a huge success, drawing close to 500 runners.
This year, Knox is more at ease, for rather than trying to pull off the race in roughly a month, he and his organizing committee are in place — five months before race day.
The 22nd Run of the Mill is set for Saturday, July 7, the same day the annual Meet Me in Mill Creek Festival begins.
“We’re still working with the festival committee,” Knox said, adding that the race could start earlier than last year. “This year we’re working in partnership with each other. I want the Run to be the kickoff of the festival.”
This year’s race will again be a fundraiser. Proceeds from all entry fees go to the Lance Armstrong Livestrong Foundation, and some operating funds will go toward the state high school cross country scholarship fund and the Jackson High School Track and Cross Country Boosters.
Last year’s race raised $8,800 for the Lance Armstrong Foundation and $2,000 for the scholastic cross country organizations. This year, the goals are more ambitious — 1,000 runners, $20,000 raised for the Livestrong Foundation, and 100 volunteers taking part.
“We had close to that many (volunteers) last year,” said Knox, whose son Caleb was a top cross country runner at Jackson High School and is now a junior track star at the University of Washington. “It should be pretty easy.”
The race will once again start in Mill Creek Town Center and wind its way along the North Creek Trail. The tentative course will go past the Mill Creek Sports Park, then return to Town Center on the trail. The start and end point this year could be Main Street instead of 153rd Street Southeast.
The course should be easier for most Mill Creek residents to deal with. In the past the course wound around Village Green Drive, passing by most of the city’s neighborhoods, before crossing Bothell-Everett Highway. The new course crosses some side streets and driveways, but most of it is the North Creek Trail.
“The runners loved the trail,” Knox said. “It’s quintessential Mill Creek. Including the trail in the course is imperative.”
Jon Harding first place finish – July 13, 2007
Fun and sun at Mill Creek run
Enterprise staff
The annual Run of the Mill five-kilometer race was held July 7 in Mill Creek with 767 participants finishing the course. Here are the top 50 finishers, listed by name, age and hometown, followed by winners in each age division.
Overall
1. Jon Harding, 21, Seattle, 14:54.50.
2. Travis Boyd, 23, Seattle, 15:14.5.
3. Josh Ward, 32, Mill Creek, 16:20.2.
4. Caleb Knox 21 Seattle, 16:21.5
5. Spencer Walsh, 24, Shoreline, 16:23.4
6. Josh Proctor, 28, Kirkland, 16:30.8
7. Michael Manning, 18, Mill Creek, 16:38.8.
8. Yon Yilma, 18 Lynnwood, 16:57.3.
9. Dak Riek, 19, Lynnwood, 16:57.7.
10. Jeffrey Helmer, 19, Snohomish, 16:58.1.
11. Brian Sutter, 16, Monroe, 17:13.2.
12. Daniel Moroney 29 Everett, 17:15.1.
13. Michael Tran 16 Mountlake Terrace, 17:16.1.
14. Jordan Lance 18 Mill Creek, 17:19.6.
15. Carl Moe, 23, Seattle, 17:19.9.
16. Christopher Ahl, 20, Seattle, 17:20.5.
17. Jon Hickey, 23, Seattle, 17:24.2.
18. Mitchell Briggs, 15, Everett, 17:28.8.
19. Derek Woolsey, 16, Everett, 17:40.7.
20. Becca Ward, 31, Mill Creek, 17:42.9.
21. Nathan Calacat, 14, Everett, 18:00.7.
22. Calvin Grover, 16, Edmonds, 18:02.0.
23. Chris Knakal ,15, Mill Creek, 18:04.7.
24. Mike Oh, 17, Everett, 18:11.1.
25. Paul Huynh, 16, Normandy Park, 18:14.1.
26. David Eddy, 41, Mill Creek, 18:21.0.
27. Tori Tyler, 20, Los Altos, Calif. 18:29.3.
28. Ryan McKnight, 34, Bothell, 18:30.7.
29. Brian Corrigan, 36, Mill Creek, 18:33.2.
30. Chris Nichols, 23, Everett, 18:39.2.
31. Jeremiah Surface, 15, Kirkland, 18:44.0.
32. Jordan Butler, 18, Bothell, 18:54.6.
33. Sean Conway, 16, Mill Creek, 18:54.9.
34. Tyler Hill, 17, Mountlake Terrace, 18:55.7.
35. Miles Hille, 15, Woodinville, 18:56.3.
36. Kevin Graham, 17, Everett, 19:02.6.
37. Jack Pearce, 11, Brier, 19:10.6
38. Aaron Menzel, 16, Bellevue, 19:13.3.
39. Conner Ballew, 14, Everett, 19:13.6.
40. Justin Marshall, 16, Lake Stevens, 19:14.0.
41. Trisha Rasmussen, 21, Seattle, 19:16.1.
42. Robert Morgan, 43, Snohomish, 19:20.6.
43. Uriah Halpin, 30, Mill Creek, 19:22.7.
44. Ed Haywood, 46, Lynnwood, 19:24.4.
45. William Waters, 57, Bothell, 19:25.3.
46. Holger Hille, 47, Woodinville, 19:26.2.
47. Lyndy Davis, 17, Snohomish, 19:26.5.
48. Tom Heneghan, 20, Everett, 19:27.6.
49. Brooke Anderson, 20, Seattle, 19:30.1.
50. Brayden Shumski, 16, Everett, 19:36.9.
Age group winners
11-and-under women
1. Briahna Gibson, 9, Snohomish, 22:23.0.
12-15 women
1. Juliette Becker, 15, Mill Creek, 21:26.9.
16-19 women
1. Lyndy Davis, 17, Snohomish, 19:26.5.
20-29 women
1. Tori Tyler, 20, Los Altos, 18:29.3.
30-39 women
1. Becca Ward, 31, Mill Creek, 17:42.9.
40-49 women
1. Theresa Knakal, 49, Mill Creek, 24:11.7.
50-59 women
1. Mary McKay, 55, Everett, 24:07.5.
60-69 women
1. Clarita Bhat, 64, Mukilteo, 26.42.1.
70+ women
1. Selma Bonham, 81, Mill Creek, 43.22.
11-and-under men
1. Jack Pearce, 11, Brier, 19:10.6
12-15 men
1. Mitchell Briggs, 15, Everett, 17:28.8.
16-19 men
1. Michael Manning, 18, Mill Creek, 16:38.8.
20-29 men
1. Jon Harding, 21, 14:54.5.
30-39 men
1. Josh Ward, 32, Mill Creek, 16:20.2.
40-49 men
1. David Eddy, 41, Mill Creek, 18:21.0.
50-59 men
1. William Waters, 57, Bothell, 19:25.3.
60-69 men
1. Jack Larson, 69, Arlington, 24:02.4
70+ men
1. Jim Menzies, 70, Edmonds, 33:55.8.
Big donations from Run of the Mill – Sept. 22, 2006
John Santana
Mill Creek Enterprise editor
The Run of the Mill’s first year as a charitable event raised big bucks.
A final tally resulted in $8,800 being donated directly to the Lance Armstrong Foundation. That figure was all race entry proceeds, as the race drew 468 participants. Seventy volunteers assisted on race day, July 8.
In addition, $2,000 was donated to the Washington State Cross Country Coaches Association Scholarship Fund.
Already, the Run of the Mill committee has set its goals for next year, and they are ambitious. The committee hopes to donate $15,000 to the Lance Armstrong Foundation, have 1,000 runners, 150 community volunteers, and donate $5,000 to high school track and cross country programs.
Anyone interested in signing up, volunteering or helping sponsor next year’s race can visit www.mcrunofthemill.com for information.
Run of the Mill – still relevant – July 14, 2006
Run of the Mill’s return draws in the runners
Event raises more than $9,000
John Santana
Mill Creek Enterprise editor
Any thoughts that the Run of the Mill is no longer a relevant event in Mill Creek were put to rest Saturday.
The July 8 5K race drew more than 400 entrants, many of them signing up in the final six days leading up to the event. As of July 2, 198 people had registered to participate.
This year’s participation was higher than the last three years, when the South Snohomish County Chamber of Commerce managed the race. Last year’s event drew 260 participants.
The turnout is even more impressive considering that the race’s future was uncertain until early June, when Mill Creek resident Steve Knox had his company, Columbia Funding Mortgage, take the lead in keeping the race alive.
“We are absolutely thrilled,” Knox said Monday. “We could not have had a better day.”
This year’s race, sponsored by a variety of local and regional companies, was a benefit for the Lance Armstrong Foundation, with all funds from entry fees going to the foundation. Although a final total wasn’t immediately available, Knox estimated that more than $9,000 was raised for the foundation from race entries.
“We’re being conservative,” he said.
The day went so well that Knox said that planning is already under way for the 2007 race, which will be the 22nd edition of the Run of the Mill.
Knox shared the credit for the race coming off as well as it did with others. He said the city of Mill Creek “made it easy to get it done” by assisting with a variety of issues. He also credited a “phenomenal committee,” including race director Jon Hickey for all his work; Knox’s wife, Linda, for going door-to-door to get sponsors; the cross-country coaches at Jackson High School, who helped get several coaches from around the state to come to Mill Creek to help run the event; and the Jackson High School Booster Club, which helped volunteer on race day.
“There’s no way I could’ve done this alone,” Steve Knox said.
The race drew a wide variety of participants from Mill Creek and elsewhere, from as young as a year old to 83-year-old Roelif Laughlin of Shoreline. Also taking part were longtime Run of the Mill participants Karen Lovick, wife of state Rep. John Lovick of Mill Creek, and Mayor Donna Michelson.
Once again, the race was a family event for Selma Bonham, 80, of Mill Creek. Her children and grandchildren came from around the state and from as far away as St. Louis to take part in the event.
“This big chant of ‘Selma, Selma’ came up from my friends from Lake Forest Park as I approached the finish line,” Bonham said. “It was outstanding.”
The race also had a new course this year, starting and ending in Mill Creek Town Center and not going into the residential neighborhoods along Village Green Drive, the course for the race’s first 20 years.
“It was more level,” Bonham said.
Mike Sayenko first place finish – July 14, 2006
Run of the Mill attracts crowded field
Several Jackson runners place in 21st annual race
Enterprise staff
Mike Sayenko, 22, of Bellevue, took first place at the Run of the Mill 5k race July 8 in Mill Creek.
Sayenko completed the course in 15 minutes, 52 seconds and just edged Kamiak High School graduate Kelly Spady, who also clocked in with a time of 15:52.
Jackson graduate Caleb Knox was 14th (17:46) and current Jackson runners Michael Manning and Jordan Butler were 18th (17:51) and 19th (17:55), respectively.
Lisa Tylor, 43, of Puyallup won the women’s race with a time of 19:25. Current Jackson runners Stephanie Houck was fifth (20:38) and Alison Ponce was seventh (22:02). Jackson graduate Allison Graham placed 12th (22:34).
More than 400 runners competed in 21st annual race.
Selma Bonham letter to editor – June 2006
Run of the Mill can inspire more good
So many requests for good causes fill my mailbox, it’s difficult to prioritize them, satisfy my conscience, and stay on a reasonable budget. Thanks to Steve and Linda Knox and all the folks involved in our new Run of the Mill, including those at the Mill Creek Enterprise, one decision is easier for me. The Run entry fees will be donated to the Lance Armstrong Foundation and my favorite local tradition, which encourages exercise, will be continued.
I’ve had three “adventures” with cancer. Surviving, recovering, and living to be 80 is partly luck and good care, but I also credit wonderful support from family and friends as well as exercise, especially running, which is so simple in Mill Creek. I run for endurance. I’ve solved problems, coped with grief and anger, organized my thoughts, and found the right words while running.
This year, a daughter and granddaughter may join me in the event. I hope I can encourage others, all ages, to join running or walking the route. The Web site is www.mcrunofthemill.com. Maybe they’ll all celebrate at the finish line. Maybe they’ll make donations or become sponsors of this good cause.
