Soccer club puts on race to benefit juvenile diabetes

By Justin Anderson

Tomorrow at 9 a.m. Salt Lake City’s Chaos Soccer Club will hold a 5k fun run to benefit children diagnosed with juvenile diabetes. The race will be held at Wheeler Farm at 6351 S. 900 E., in Salt Lake City.

This is a run that hits close to home for two girls who play on the Chaos team. Ashlynne Bryner and Stella Hadden both have been diagnosed with juvenile diabetes.

“She’s had a really hard time with it,” said Ashlynne’s mother Jodi Bryner. “But she’s come a long way in the last couple years since she’s been diagnosed.”

Ashlynne’s coach, and  director of coaching for Chaos, Shaylee Wilson, has also seen a lot of progress in both of the young girls.

“The girls push themselves to prove not only to themselves, but to others, that even though they have a disease they can still do the same activities as others,” Wilson said.

Juvenile diabetes affects the girls in many different ways, but they have committed themselves to the team and have grown because of it.

“If they get high or low on their sugar they don’t feel good,” said Bryner. “They could easily say: ‘I don’t feel good, I don’t want to go,’ but they don’t, they have to push through that and work through their bodies not feeling good.”

Each player and parent is given a list of team expectations. For players, the list includes displaying good sportsmanship, having a positive attitude and each player focusing on what they can do individually to help make the team better.

The 5k race will help the club put that goal into action off the field, as each girl individually has spent time recruiting others to participate in the run.

“What a way to unite girls for a great cause that shows support of one another,” said Wilson.

Part of the proceeds from the race will be donated to Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation whose goal it is to find a cure for type 1 diabetes.

JDRF had its beginnings 43 years ago and opened up a chapter in Utah in 1996.

“Our goal is really to improve the lives of anyone that has Type 1 diabetes, while accelerating the progress on promising opportunities for curing, better training and preventing Type 1,” said executive director of JDRF, Laura Western.

JDRF has raised over 1.7 billion dollars during its lifetime. The Utah chapter, which covers all of Utah and part of southern Idaho, raises 1.5 million dollars on average annually. The organization coordinates events of its own throughout the year, such as walks in different communities throughout the state, one of which will be held in Logan September 13.

“We’re committed to improving the care of people with the disease, and we remain committed,” said Western. “We won’t rest until T1D is fully conquered, so we’re very committed to finding a cure.”

Runners will have the opportunity to buy muffins and other snacks before and after the race. There will also be a 1-mile fun run that will begin at 9:30.

Online registration is open now, and about 100 runners sign up. The deadline for online sign up is 8 p.m. tonight.

If a runner misses the deadline, there will be same-day registration available from 7 to 8:30 a.m. Saturday.