CEDAR HILLS, Utah — Utahns of all ages gathered in Cedar Hills on Saturday morning with their running gear on — in this case, a tiara and a dress. However, this race had a much deeper meaning.
“We got involved with childhood cancer probably about 12 years ago,” said Heather Warren, owner of Little Adventures, which put on the event. "Our own designer, who helps to design these dresses for other kids with cancer, her daughter ended up getting diagnosed with a brain tumor, and that's Alex Rowan.”
From the outside, you could never tell, but behind closed doors, Rowan has been facing an unimaginable journey.
“I've had four surgeries, I have a shunt put in, I've done a million rounds of chemo, 35 rounds of radiation or something like that, just pushing through every day,” the 22-year-old said.
It started back in the winter of 2024 and into early 2025. She started having headaches, which got worse.
“I started to develop double vision, so my eyes were blurry, one of my eyes was kind of falling inwards, and that's what made me go in and get a CT scan,” Rowan said. "We found out that I had a brain tumor.”
Despite this unthinkable hurdle, Rowan was able to cross the finish line with an entire community cheering her on.
She inspired others to join the race as well.
“I'm not a runner. I like, could barely run a quarter of a mile before I started this, and here I am. I just ran that 5K, and Alex has been my inspiration the whole time,” said family friend London Granata. “If she's pushing through what she's going through, I know I can push through.”
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Even one family showed up to the event after recently losing their 8-year-old son to a brain tumor.
“It’s horrible that anyone has to go through this, let alone someone so young. It’s really sad,” Rowan said through tears, “but it's really amazing to connect with people... They know everything that I've gone through, in a sense.”
“It's crazy to see, like she's saying, just how many people there are out there just rallying around her,” said Rowan's husband, Ethan Perry. “She fully deserves it. It's been pretty crazy. I had no idea any human was capable of pushing themselves to the extent that she has.”
Rowan is on her last round of chemo and will get a three-month break before starting again. On Saturday, the message was clear: "Courage Wears a Crown."
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