The new Run n Fun team uniforms stood out. It wasn’t just the women in bright pink and the men in bright yellow that caught my eye. The shirts worn by members of the team, sponsored by the locally owned Run n Fun running store, had something written on the back; a simple line of text that read “Rock for Broc.” It was on all of the men’s and women’s uniform tops. I saw sports bras, singlets, short-sleeve shirts and long-sleeve shirts; every single one with the phrase “Rock for Broc.”
It instantly brought tears to my eyes. I knew the “Broc” they were all rocking for was 44-year-old Cynthia Brochman of Maplewood, a long-time team member of the Run n Fun squad. In December 2008, Brochman was diagnosed with stomach cancer. By March 2009, it had spread to her liver and it was deemed inoperable and terminal.
But Brochman is not someone who accepts such news to mean she must stop what she loves doing. If anything, she is all the more determined to live. A cancer diagnosis is not who Brochman is. It will not define her. And it’s certainly not the end of her story.
Her story is more aptly told in those three simple words “Rock for Broc.” Those words speak volumes about how she is perceived. It speaks of the respect and admiration her teammates, friends and competitors have for her. And it is a public declaration that shows how much the Minnesota running community appreciated her contributions over the past 20-plus years.
Team spirit
Brochman has run for the Run n Fun racing team almost since their St. Paul store opened in the early 1990s. Kari Bach, co-owner of Run n Fun with her husband, Perry, said it was important to recognize that commitment and rally the team behind her.
“We felt we needed to do something in return to help her with her fight,” Bach said. “She’s been courageous. It’s amazing how upbeat she’s been. Some of her teammates are really good friends and they’ve trained with her for years. We all want to help her in any way that we can, even if it’s just moral support.”
Throughout the silent sports community — Brochman is not only an avid runner, cross-country skier, snowshoe racer and du/triathlete, but also a long-time league volleyball player and golfer — Brochman is as well known for her personality as she is for her athletic performance.
White Bear Lake runner Staci Bennett has been a member of the Run n Fun racing team since 1996. Bennett didn’t run in high school or college, but when she began running sometime after college for fitness, she quickly learned she had some talent. Having competed well in a few local races, she began looking around for other runners to train with and learn from.
Bennett first saw Brochman with a group of women on the University of Saint Thomas track. “I watched them and was fascinated. I just thought what they were doing looked interesting,” Bennett said. But it was Brochman who approached Bennett after a race and recruited her to the Run n Fun team.
“She was so instantly friendly and open; so approachable. She just wanted to invite me or include me in everything. I was this new person on the block. She wanted to help me get connected,” Bennett said. “She made me feel included and I really ate it up. It was great. I needed someone to help me out and it worked. Her timing was perfect.”
That timing led to more than 10 years of track workouts and long runs. “Cindy and I were like a married couple back in the day. We saw more of each other than we saw of our spouses,” Bennett said.
Making connections
The Minnesota running community, while large, can be a pretty tight-knit group. Run a few of the bigger races in the Twin Cities and you’ll start to see the same faces over and over again. Brochman is almost always among them introducing people to each other, cracking jokes, beating most of us to the finish line, and then turning around to cheer.
Lakeville triathlete, runner and Run n Fun team member Tim O’Brien laughed as he remembered first meeting Brochman. (Before telling this story, O’Brien made clear he’s been very happily married for 30 years.)
“I was running in the Metrodome for the first time one winter about four years ago, and she came in to run,” O’Brien began. “I just caught a glimpse of a real cute gal walking into the bathroom. You know how everyone comes into the Dome wearing their work clothes and then goes to change? I thought, ‘I’ve got to get around this Dome again to check out who that is.”
O’Brien continued to get glimpses of Brochman at local races. A camaraderie developed into somewhat of a rivalry.
“She would always take off real fast and then I would catch her about one or two miles in. And we’d just give a little wave to each other,” O’Brien said.
At the 2008 Earth Day Half Marathon in Saint Cloud, Brochman again took off fast. “I caught her at Lake George,” O’Brien said. “This time I started talking to her. She wasn’t feeling good that day, so I ran with her. We ended up running the whole race together. We just talked.”
He added, “At some point you’re not going to run any faster, so you might as well get to know people.”
Brochman is always good for a story and a few laughs, so it’s not surprising that someone would want to run an entire race talking to her. In fact, being a tough but friendly competitor can lead to making good connections.
Sideline support
So can teaching fellow runners how to cheer at the races they’re not running themselves. It’s rare for Brochman not to be running some of the bigger races in town. But when she’s not, you can almost count on finding her along the course cheering on anyone and everyone.
Kari Campbell of Lake Elmo is also a long-time Run n Fun team member and a competitive triathlete. “One of the first times I got to know her and hung out with her was at the Twin Cities Marathon. It was probably about the 19 or 20 mile mark. We stood there ringing cowbells together. She introduced me to the cowbell,” Campbell said with a laugh. “It annoys my husband to death. I like doing it. Now I get blisters from ringing cowbells during marathons because I’m so obnoxiously ringing them.”
This is just another example of the myriad connections Brochman has made with her fellow runners and why those runners are now cheering on Brochman through her race against cancer.
“We’re such healthy, active people that to see something like this happen to a fellow athlete and friend, it just makes it so real,” Campbell said. “I love the running community, and this is what it’s really good at. There’s competition but that’s not all it’s about. It’s about friendships, camaraderie and supporting itself through good and bad.”
Support returned
“Rock for Broc” was the theme for two of three fundraisers held for Brochman thus far. One of those fundraisers was a track meet organized by Run n Fun teammates Mercy Ray and Pam Weier in late June. Close to 200 runners came out for Rock for Broc One Mile Fundraising Challenge and more than 30 people volunteered to help out. Many more people came out to watch the one mile heats held that evening on a St. Paul track. Nineteen individuals, companies and groups stepped forward with donations. The effort helped raise well over $5,000 for Brochman’s ongoing treatment.
Bach attended the event. “I think the running community’s support has been awesome. I saw some people there I haven’t seen in years. I believe it was all a bit surprising for (Brochman). She felt a lot of gratitude. Here were all of these people showing up — some that hadn’t run in years — but they showed up and ran. They swallowed their pride and ran for Cindy.”
Brochman walked and ran one of the heats herself. It was one of the most moving events of the evening. Bennett, pushing her 3-year-old daughter in a stroller, walked with Brochman. So did Chris Daymont, Brochman’s college coach. Legions of other runners, friends and family members also swarmed the track. The most heartwarming scene from the evening was Cindy’s run down the homestretch. The entire crowd was on its feet cheering as she finished. Many of us, Brochman included, were brought to tears again by the outpouring of emotion from so many.
Competitive on the course
I mentioned Brochman’s forays into several other silent sports. But understand, she does not dabble. She is a fierce competitor. In fact, in her very poignant and raw journal writings at www.caringbridge.org/visit/cynthiabrochman, Brochman has mentioned her illness is preventing her from training at a high level for the first time in more than 30 years. Nevertheless, she is doing everything she can to maintain fitness throughout her chemo treatments.
Brochman graduated from St. Olaf in Northfield, Minnesota, where she competed in both track and volleyball. She remains on St. Olaf’s women’s indoor track Top 10 list for the 1,000 yard run (she ran a 2:48.6 in 1987). Since college she’s been a fixture on the road racing scene in Minnesota. Her PRs are impressive: 17:54 for 5K, 1:21 for 13.1 miles and 3:01 for the marathon.
She’s a world-class snowshoe racer, having raced for the U.S. at the World Championships a number of times. In 2007, she was named Snowshoe Magazine’s Person of the Year for her role as race director for the 2007 National Championship Race held in Minnesota.
Brochman is married to two-time Olympic cross-country skier Kevin Brochman (1984 and 1988). His influence on her is evident when you note her achievements at the American Birkebeiner. In 2008, she finished fifth in her age group at the Birkie, an improvement over her 11th-place in her age group in 2006.
In just the last few years, Brochman started doing duathlons and triathlons. In 2008, she was ranked third for women aged 40-44 on USAT’s Duathlon All American list.
Campbell said Brochman’s competitive nature is always evident after the gun goes off, but at one triathlon it was demonstrated in a particularly funny way.
While training and racing, Brochman liked Clif Shot Bloks — an electrolyte replacement substance that, depending on the surrounding temperature, can be either gooey or hard to chew. Campbell recalled that after the initial swim leg of a triathlon, Brochman popped one in her mouth.
“It was definitely a cooler morning,” Campbell said, so the Shot Blok was hard. “She ended up pulling out a crown. So she stuck the crown in her little bike bag and kept on going. It was like she was saying, ‘I’ll take care of that later. I’m racing. Got to keep going.’”
Brochman is now channeling that spirit to keep going into her fight against cancer. Many other endurance athletes have posted messages on her Caring Bridge site saying how they’re tackling tough workouts knowing that what she’s going through is tougher. they say they’re getting off the couch, lacing up their running shoes, getting on their bikes or going to the gym because that’s what Brochman would be doing if she could. (As of this writing, Brochman is in Arizona seeking treatment.)
The “Rock for Broc” jerseys worn by her teammates say it all.
“I think the show of support by Run n Fun for Cindy in her fight is very touching,” said Lee Eastman of Chanhassen, another long-time member of the Run n Fun women’s racing team. “We all know Cindy would like to be out there doing what we are doing. To take her along with us every step of the way in our ‘Rock for Broc’ attire is an amazing and strengthening feeling for me. ... Now we all want to show our support for her as she has given to us.”
Throughout her illness, Brochman has continued to be the outspoken, strong competitor we’ve all known. Of course she’s had some low points, but she’s emerged several times by drawing on the strength and support of those around her. There’s been a lot of talk on her Caring Bridge site about sharing positive energy, vibes and thoughts Brochman’s way.
“Cindy continues to be Cindy throughout her fight. She needs that. We all need that,” Bennett said. “I hope she heals. It’s going to take some time but we’re going to be here for her. When she comes home and starts remission, then she can get back to being Cindy. We’ll all have a big party for her. She needs to be here. We’ll have whatever celebration she wants to have and do whatever it takes.”
Rock for Broc!
Teri J. Dwyer is a Saint Paul, Minnesota-based freelance writer. She personally has Brochman to thank for getting her through some of her first long runs back in the early 1990s. Brochman also loaned Dwyer her Rollerblade Lightnings in 1991, thereby getting her hooked on yet another sport.
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