LITTLE ROCK — Bonita Paul’s memorial is rendered in light pink letters on the back of her tank top.
“In honor of Echo Miller,” it reads.
And for the third consecutive year, Paul, 30, honored her friend’s memory by winning the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure 5K, a race Miller circled on her calendar as she fought breast cancer in the spring of 2009.
Miller died in July 2009. But fourth months later, Paul ran anyway.
She hasn’t lost since.
On Saturday, Paul, who is from Bowling Green, Ky., breezed to victory in the 18th Little Rock edition of the race in 17 minutes, 25.93 seconds - about 32 seconds in front of Little Rock’s Leah Thorvilson.
Paul and Thorvilson finished well ahead of the remaining pack of competitive runners, who started 30 minutes before thousands of others. Third- and fourth place finishers Lindsay Herron (20:13.90) and Ashley O’Roark (20:22.92) came in nearly three minutes behind Paul.
“Usually, I’m just so focused and worried about my race pace,” Paul said. “But here, you just have a joyful feeling for those who passed away and those that are fighting cancer.”
That exhilaration likely is shared by the roughly 46,000 people who registered for the event that raised around $2 million for breast cancer research.
“It’s just little bits,” she said of her thoughts of Miller.
“It’s almost like I can see her voice, but I can hear her giggling or teasing me about something.”
At Western Kentucky, Paul became one the best distance runners in Sun Belt Conference history from 2001-2003. Now, she competes professionally in 10Ks and marathons, including a career-best 10K of 36:28 at the Rodes City Run in March 2007.
She met Miller years ago through Miller’s brother, a friend.
“He was talking about his sister, and I wanted to meet her,” she said. “We instantly clicked.”
Considering it was Miller who prodded Paul into giving the race a try, the extra meaning is obvious, Paul said.
“I wasn’t running for any expectation of winning,” she said. “I just did it because she told me about the race. She said, ‘You have to come run it with me.’ ”
The cause supported by the run also touches Thorvilson. Gary Cole, her Little Rock based coach, lost his mother six years ago to the disease.
“It was more of my coach’s mother passed away from breast cancer,” Thorvilson, 32, said. “So it was a tribute to her. I figured, I’d come out, have some fun, and I wasn’t really expecting anybody fast to be here.”
The women who compete in the Race for the Cure tend to let down their competitive guard, with Thorvilson going so far as to wear a pink tutu.
“I didn’t look back,” Paul said. “I knew she was on my tail the whole time, so what’s the point in looking back. She’s right there. I’m not going to waste extra energy.”
Sports, Pages 30 on 10/23/2011