The Spirit of Breast Cancer Survivors Remains Strong at 28th Annual Ellen's Run

Jaime Knopman was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2019, and had a double mastectomy in early 2020. And on Sunday, she crossed the finish line as the first breast cancer survivor to finish the 28th annual Ellen’s Run at Southampton Intermediate School.

Knopman, 45, of New York City, said that her battle with cancer was very similar to that of running a race.

“Running is the ultimate test of resilience, which is really what going through cancer treatment is like,” she said. “You push yourself. There’s ups and downs, but you keep pushing through.”

Knopman finished 88th out of 652 total runners in 24:29.87.

The first overall finisher for the third year in a row was Sergey Avramenko, 38, a Hampton Bays native who despite accidentally crossing the finish line backwards, was able to create enough distance to be the top finisher in 15:38.79. After the second mile, Avramenko was going for a personal record, but the heat made the third mile difficult for him.

“I fully understand how important it is to raise awareness for breast cancer and I’m blessed to take part in it,” he said. “It’s a great organization, and I’m very happy to win again.”

East Hampton native Erik Engstrom, 25, crossed the finish line second overall at 16:44.55. Engstrom said that while the course was moved in 2021 due to the pandemic from Stony Brook Southampton Hospital to the Southampton Intermediate School, most of the course was similar.

“It was a pretty flat course, so I tried to get into a good groove,” he said. “It was hot. But I’m happy.”

Louis Volle, 45, finished in 18:21.05, rounding out the top three.

The first female to finish the race was Andrea Sankari, 44, finishing in 20:54.85. Sankari is from New York City, so she wasn’t extremely familiar with the Ellen Hermanson Foundation, but was certainly familiar with what the foundation stands for.

“Someone very close to me underwent treatment last year,” she said. “So it was very meaningful for that reason.”

Fairfax Walker, 12, of Southampton, and Caris Kojima, 15, rounded out the top three female finishers crossing the finish line at 22:18.84 and 22:41.23, respectively.

Full results are available at elitefeats.com.

Proceeds from the race benefit the Ellen Hermanson Foundation, which provides breast cancer education, support and research. After 13 years in East Hampton, Ellen’s Run was moved to Southampton in 2009 to coincide with the opening of the Ellen Hermanson Breast Center at Stony Brook Southampton Hospital.

At the Ellen Hermanson Breast Center, no one is turned away for lack of insurance or the inability to pay. Both the race and the center are named after race organizer Julie Ratner’s sister, Ellen Hermanson, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in February 1989. Hermanson died in April 1995 at age 42.

When Ratner met with the Southampton Town Police and the Southampton Intermediate School, they all agreed that the whole race is a “well-oiled machine.” Despite the obstacles that each year may present, they are overcome and each year is more successful than the last.

“There are always surprises, but that’s okay, we just roll with them,” she said. “We always figure it out.”

Ratner keeps her sister front and center in her heart during all of the work she does as motivation and her main reason to raise awareness and support for breast cancer.

“By doing this in her name, her life goes on and has meaning beyond the time she spent with us” she said. “Because she was here and because she walked this Earth, so many people are better off.”

Hermanson’s goal, as a journalist, was to educate the public about the disease, the challenges its patients face, and resources that they and survivors could use.

“We honor her name and her memory by providing access to state-of-the-art health care,” Ratner said. “She’s the inspiration and all of this is happening because of her.”