Local Woman Bares All For Undy 5,000

Stripping down to her skivvies and running into the street is no problem for resident Lindsie Fransen.

Especially when she's joined by hundreds of others in who are raising money for a worthy cause. The 28-year-old is headed to Cincinnati, Ohio, Saturday to participate in the Undy 5,000—a 5K race to raise cash for The Colon Cancer Alliance that runners complete wearing nothing but their underwear.

According to the American Cancer Society, 142,000 new cases of colon cancer will be diagnosed this year. Nearly 50,000 people will die from the disease.

"It's a great way to raise awareness," said Fransen, who's an adult oncology nurse at , which in part specializes in chemotherapy, radiation and iron infusion for cancer patients. "Obviously breast cancer is something that deserves awareness and there are a lot of cancers out there that get a ton of fundraising and celebrity backing. But colon cancer isn't really one of those. This is a way to shed light on it and give it more attention."

The cause hits close to home for Fransen, whose mother, Maria Jung, 52, was diagnosed in 2004 with colon rectal cancer. She underwent chemotherapy and radiation and was in remission until this past May, when she was diagnosed again, Fransen said. She's now back in chemotherapy and radiation.

So 5 months pregnant—she'll be walking the 5K—Fransen is participating in the event Saturday for the second consecutive year with her team of family and friends that's coined, "Marching for Maria."

Though her mother raced in the Undy 5,000 last year, she will not be running this weekend with Fransen, her brother Chris Jung, sister Lauren Siemer, 27, and father Wayne Jung.

Much of their group is from Louisville, Kent., where the Jungs grew up, and the Cincinnati area. Siemer, an artist, is in charge of decorating "whitey tighties" for the team, Fransen said with a laugh.

"A large part of the underwear component is to kind of bring awareness to something that can sometimes be an embarrassing subject to talk about," she noted.

This year is the second year for the Cincinnati race, according to a news release sent from The Colon Cancer Alliance, but it's currently hosted in a dozen cities in the U.S. This year's participants had raised $423,503.73 as of Thursday at 5 p.m., according to the Undy 5,000 website.

"You really can wear anything," Fransen said. "Last year it was kind of chilly so we wore the underwear over warmer clothes. But you see people running in just their underwear, granny panties, boxers, you name it. It brings people together. It's just a cool race to do."

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