Cori Dooman
Cori Dooman, a senior at Yosemite High School, wanted her senior
project at YHS to contribute to the good of others, so she decided
to raise money by running in the Los Angeles Marathon.
She
chose cancer patients at the Valley Children’s Hospital of Central
California to benefit from the proceeds she raised. Her uncle, Rod
Huffman, had died last summer from cancer and she was particularly
affected by his death, as well as the recent passing of Oakhurst
resident and fellow YHS student Sam Rowlett.
Cori ran on the YHS cross country team last fall and continued training
up until March 7, the date of the marathon. One of her coaches was
her father, Dave, who is also the assistant coach of the YHS track
team.
Before the marathon, she solicited donations for pledges which would
be paid if she completed the 26.2-mile race, which winds through
the streets of Los Angeles. She expected to finish without any problems
because she had trained religiously, running in all kinds of weather,
with her father and brother, John, riding their bikes by her side.
More than 25,000 runners competed in the marathon. Since it took
those in the back several minutes to reach the starting line, each
runner was equipped with a small computer chip tied to their shoelace
which marked the exact time the starting line was crossed.
Despite all of the planning by Cori and her family, they didn’t
count on Mother Nature. Temperatures hit an unseasonable 97 on the
streets that day. Even though water and snacks were easily available
to the runners, dehydration was a distinct possibility.
Cori was running ahead of her pace, but at mile 23 she began to
have problems. Her mother recounted that she “actually grabbed onto
a man competing in the race and asked him if he would please carry
her to the finish line.” The startled man instead directed her to
water and a policeman and after resting a few minutes, Cori took
off again.
The next part of the race became a blur as Cori became more and
more disoriented. She asked another couple for help and finally
a nurse who was also running came to her rescue and agreed to help
her finish the race.
Cori’s condition began to worsen, however, and nearby paramedics
took her to the hospital. As she was being loaded into the ambulance,
she began to cry, begging the paramedics not to take her, while
the crowd yelled “Let her finish” and cheered her on.
When Cori’s parents arrived at the hospital, she told them her immediate
concern was finishing the marathon. Although her mother told her
health was more important, her father, aware of her competitive
spirit and determination, offered her a solution.
Because of his coaching experience, he feared Cori “would be sorry
she hadn’t finished that race” and that not finishing would be something
she’d always regret.
So he told her he thought she should go back and finish, even though
the race had officially ended. He wanted her to “remember that she
finished no matter what obstacles came her way.”
After intravenous fluids and several glasses of juice at the hospital,
Cori and her parents returned to mile 23.
Cori, accompanied and encouraged by her father, ran the last 3.2
miles and finished the race before it ended, with an approximate
time of 8 hours and 45 minutes. Said Cori, “My time wasn’t what
I wanted, but I was so happy to finish, for myself, for the people
who sponsored me, and for the kids at Valley Children’s Hospital.
I hope the money I raised will do some good.” She said she was almost
happy the race ended the way it did.
“It gave me just a fraction of the suffering so many children have
to go through. I certainly have more empathy for them after this.”
Two weeks ago, Cori, accompanied by her proud family, presented
a check for $1843.20 to Valley Children’s Hospital. Cori said she
was grateful to her sponsors and her parents said she lived up to
her family nickname — “Corker”!
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