Up, Up and Away! Great Cape Escape raises more than $25,000 for Open Door Clinic

The annual fundraising run is organized by students in Elon’s Physician Assistant Studies Program and supports the Open Door Clinic of Alamance County , which provides free health care to those who cannot afford to pay.

By Oliver Fischer ‘19

 Superman chased Captain America down East Haggard Avenue on Saturday. But don’t worry — it was for a good cause.

Close to 300 runners joined the 4 Annual Great Cape Escape race on Sept. 22, with some dressed as iconic superheroes and others as villains. Regardless of which side of the superhero divide they were on, they shared a common goal.

Participants ran a 5k or 10k to raise money for the Open Door Clinic of Alamance, which provides free health care for those who cannot afford to pay. Students in Elon’s Physician Assistant Studies Program launched the event four years ago to support the clinic where many of these work during their time in the program.

First-year P.A. Studies student Shannon DeFillipo volunteers at the Alamance Open Door clinic and wanted to do more to support their efforts. “We got very involved and we wanted to find out a way we could help them,” she said. “It’s hard to not love it when you’re there and to not want to do more for them.”

DeFillipo said that attendance has grown since the race’s inception. This year, runners could choose to complete a 15k by entering both the 5k and 10k and raise even more money.

While some may not see the connection between superheroes and health clinics right away, DeFillipo said that this theme brings the whole event together. “We were looking for the overall theme to bring it all together,” she said. “The idea is that being a hero could be a million different things.

“The people who are willing to help us to help the Alamance Open Door Clinic are heroes in our eyes,” she said.

The choice of the superhero theme is not just metaphorical. The iconic costumes helped organizers turn the event into more than just a run. “That way, we can also have the contest where people dress up as superheroes.” There was also a red carpet walk for everyone who finished the 15k. A face-painting station and acrobatic performance were part of the event, too.

All the money raised by the Great Cape Escape race goes directly to the Alamance Open Door clinic and helps fund items like medicine. The race is the main income source of the clinic. Last year’s race raised more than $17,000. This year, that number grew to more than $25,000.

One of the runners, Scott McGregor, said he joined the race as preparation for an upcoming half-marathon, and was happy to support the cause after finding out about it. “I talked to the dean of the School of Health Sciences this morning and they told me where all the proceeds go to pay for the medicine for families in the community,” McGregor said. “That’s just awesome.”

“I’ve personally seen how much it helps these people who can’t afford health care and who really need it,” said Morgan Bestenlehner, who ran Saturday. “The more we can do for them, the better.”