Sept. 1, 2010

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BERKELEY - On Sunday, Sept. 12, the second Jog For Jill 5K event, sponsored by the Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation (BJALCF), will take place at Golden Gate Park at 4 p.m. The event is in honor of the late Jill Costello, a former coxswain on the California women's crew who passed away from lung cancer on June 24. Cal student-athletes, staff, friends and family are encouraged to join "Team Jill." Nearly all 27 Golden Bear teams will have representation at the event.

After being diagnosed with the disease on June 6, 2009, Costello remained an active member on the rowing team through the 2010 season, coxing the varsity 8+ to a Pac-10 Championship and a helping the Golden Bears finish second overall at the NCAA Championships. The 2010 Pac-10 Athlete of the Year, Costello graduated last May with a degree in political economy and was named to the Pac-10 All-Academic second team. She accomplished all of this while undergoing 22 chemotherapy sessions and 14 days of radiation treatments.

"Jill was a wonderful person in every way, and we were blessed to have had her in our lives," head coach Dave O'Neill said shortly after Costello passed away. "Back when Jill was diagnosed, she wrote, 'Life is all about how we handle the challenges we are given.' Jill faced this challenge with absolute courage, grace and dignity, and was an inspiration for so many people, especially our team. As much as everyone tried to lend a hand, Jill was the one inspiring all of us. The core of `Team Jill' was her parents, Mary and Jim, and aunt, Kathy. Our hearts go out to them."

Near the end of her life, Costello became involved with the BJALCF, which promotes lung cancer awareness and raises funds to find a cure. She helped raise $50,000 for lung cancer research and rallied 1,000 people for the initial Jog For Jill event that took place on Feb. 7, 2010, which was the largest event in terms of number of people in the history of lung cancer. Per Costello's request, there will be an annual Jog For Jill event every February.

The BJALCF will have two tables set up at Memorial Stadium for the Cal football game against UC Davis on Saturday, Sept. 4, at 1 p.m.

Registration begins at 4 p.m. and the jog begins at 5 p.m. Following the jog, there will be a celebration from 6-8 p.m. For more information on how you can register for the event and donate for the cause, please click here.

Cal Athletics Jog For Jill Home Page