Mountaintop Medicine from Estes Park Health: Estes Park man spearheads 45th Run for the Cure

Many people look at a problem and say, “I wish I could help, but I’m just one person.” Stan Havlick wanted to help cancer patients. He went out and did it.

“My first wife had acute lymphocytic leukemia,” Havlick explained. “I was motivated to do something. I don’t have a medical background, but I do have a business background. I went to Dr. Bill Robinson who lived in Eldorado Springs at that time. He was the oncologist for my wife. And he helped me decide to put on this race.”

This year’s Run for the Cure is April 15th (a Thursday) at 6 p.m. It’s held in Eldorado Springs which is between Golden and Boulder on Highway 93. This year, racers will be in the canyon at Eldorado Canyon State Park.

“It’s on a trail and it’s just beautiful,” Havlick added. “There is a modest entry fee for the race. And if people want to throw a little extra into the kitty, they can do that. All the proceeds go to the University of Colorado at Anschutz, the medical center there.”

This is an easy way for people to get out and enjoy beautiful nature in the summer when the weather is great. Also, the money they raise stays local. It is all dedicated to Colorado cancer treatment.

“To get funding from our foundation, you have to be a resident of the state of Colorado,” Havlick explained. “We have to get a letter from their oncologist about what the prognosis is, what they’re being treated for. Then we provide resources for them if they are destitute, if they need financial help.”

“Getting grants today is time-consuming,” Havlick stressed. “It’s laborious. You have to go through corporations or big organizations. There is a lot of paperwork. We sit down with the doctors a couple of times a year. They give us a wish list of their needs, whether it’s a piece of equipment for their lab or they have research needs. We just sit at that table and write them a check.”

Just a few months ago, Havlick’s foundation wrote a check for $54,000 to the hospital for some needed equipment. A plaque acknowledging the gift is hung by each piece of equipment Havlick’s group has helped purchase.

Over the years, the organization has raised just short of a million dollars and has helped hundreds and hundreds of cancer patients.

Havlick, who moved from Boulder to his place in Estes Park full time in 2020, would like his local community to get involved.

“Put a team together,” he stressed. “Come down with a couple of carloads. There’s a beautiful swimming pool. It used to be an old resort with a great history. Eisenhower honeymooned with Mimi there at Eldorado Springs as a military lieutenant. It’s a great place for hiking and recreation.”

Go to http://www.coloradocancerfoundation.org to register online. Participants can swim free, and food is provided.

“It’s a walk and run,” Havlick said. “It’s four miles. It’s an up and back into the canyon. You can do this. We’ve been hosting this for 45 years. Come be a part of it.”