Cirque du Soleil cast, crew do their part to embrace, preserve community

Never did I anticipate my first participation in a fundraising "fun walk" would be so humbling, even borderline humiliating. Then, I never envisioned I'd look like a big yellow marshmallow chicken suitable for Easter, since I never thought I'd be standing next to the hard bodies from Cirque du Soleil.

But photos don't lie. The canary yellow shirts my friends and I wore for our first fun walking foray were not slimming. The proof is posted on my blog at www.lvrj.com/blogs/morrison/

But this is about good deeds, not vanity; so we've all agreed that the Cirque du Soleil's eighth annual 5K Run and 1 Mile Fun Walk at the Springs Preserve was exactly as advertised -- fun.

One of my friends suggested weeks ago we just do it, and we all agreed it was a wonderful idea. In the preplanning stage, we dubbed ourselves the Spring Hens, which sounds like a better team name than the Four Biddies.

This past Saturday at 7:30 a.m., we gathered at the preserve, novices trying to figure out if the numbers were supposed to be pinned on the front or the back. We decided the back, which was wrong since that told everyone behind us our names and ages, certainly not something we wanted to advertise.

The site, the weather -- all were perfect for Run Away with Cirque du Soleil.

The Spring Hens were among 1,159 people helping to raise $46,000 for the Springs Preserve Foundation, doing just a little something positive for our community.

The best part? Seeing 23 performers in full Cirque regalia from the six Las Vegas shows -- "Mystere," "O," "Ka," "Love," "Zumanity" and Criss Angel's "Believe." Seeing the costumes and hard bodies up close was the highlight of the event. The young, lithe, incredibly talented performers posed playfully for photos with anyone who asked.

My second humbling moment came when they were announcing the winners of the 5K run and announced Toni Valdez came in first in her age group. Toni and her husband Al are friends of my parents. And she didn't meander like I did; she ran, and ran well. Again, I was humbled because she is 76, and I wouldn't be able to keep up with her.

"I've been running 5Ks for 35 years," she said. "I tell people I win my age group because everyone else in my age group is dead."

I have a newfound admiration and respect for the 23 Cirque performers in costume, the six band members and another 32 Cirque employees who participated in the run or walk.

(It was fairly easy to pick out the Cirque folks who weren't in costume. They were the lean and muscular folks who kept exercising when the rest of us were lolling on the artificial grass, waiting to see if our raffle ticket was going to be a winner, contemplating carbo-loading at Lou's Diner. Hey, I walked a mile.)

They could have slept in, but instead, they volunteered their time to draw attention to the preserve, which is still completely unknown to many locals. Obviously, they're more connected to the community than I'd assumed.

When they're on stage, they're magical beings who feed our fantasies and, yes, make us feel humble because we can't do what they do with their athletic bodies. But on Saturday morning, they were polite and friendly, more like good neighbors who dress a little different.

The two who started the run eight years ago -- Adam Chan and Todd Toresdahl -- deserve credit for embracing a community that sometimes doesn't seem like a real community.

Mayor Oscar Goodman compared the Springs Preserve to New York's Central Park. Yet, so many Las Vegans haven't been there, even to take advantage of the free stuff. It's centrally located off Valley View Boulevard across from the Meadows Mall; but even Toni Valdez said she'd never been there before, and she certainly wasn't the only one.

The Spring Hens are planning on doing the deed next year when Cirque du Soleil will again raise money for the Springs Preserve.

Might we actually run next year, maybe swapping our yellow shirts and jeans for something sleek and Spandexy? Nothing wrong with having a dream, even if it's all talk.

We may change our team name. One suggestion: Well Preserved.

Jane Ann Morrison's column appears Monday, Thursday and Saturday. E-mail her at Jane@reviewjournal.com or call (702) 383-0275. She also blogs at lvrj.com/blogs/morrison/.