Tapping for a cause

Laurel Busse-Johnston twirled while she crossed the finish line at the Rock ’n’ Roll Seattle Half-Marathon.

After all, a three hour and 27 minute dance performance deserved a special finale.

Busse-Johnston, 65, of Olympia, had shuffled, clicked and shimmied her way along the 13.1-mile route from Tukwila to Qwest Field in downtown Seattle. She was among nearly 25,000 people running, walking – and in her case, tap dancing – during the June 26 marathon and half-marathon that raised money for several charities.

“It was a big party – people were having a great time,” she said.

Busse-Johnston has run several marathons and half-marathons in the past. She wanted to participate in the Rock ’n’ Roll event because it supported the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation. One of her close friends was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma, a cancer of the plasma cell, about six years ago.

“It’s a pretty brutal disease,” Busse-Johnston said.

But in these tough economic times, the senior wasn’t sure she could she secure the $1,500 in pledges needed to join the MMRF team.

“I’m retired and on limited income,” she said. “So I thought, ‘Well, what I need is a gimmick.’ ”

Busse-Johnston’s passion is tap dancing, so she decided to try a half-marathon dance.

“I trained on the Chehalis Western Trail, and I handed out little cards that said what I was doing,” she said.

Several people she met during her training sessions pledged their support, helping Busse-Johnston raise nearly $2,200, which put her among the top 10 MMRF fundraisers for the event.

Busse-Johnston has tap danced for about 20 years. She moved to Olympia from Seattle about four years ago, and joined the senior entertainment group Wrinkles of Washington.

“I just find that it’s a lot of fun; it makes me happy,” she said. “It surprises me that I have so much fun doing it, because I never thought about doing it on stage in front of people. I just really enjoy it.”

Busse-Johnston’s friends say they’re proud of her accomplishment.

“Once she puts her mind to something, she goes through with it,” said Sharon Ruhl, 66, of Olympia, who also dances in Wrinkles of Washington. “She’s a very active, very physical, active lady. Certainly doesn’t look or act 65.”

“She’s a very noble and very compassionate person,” added Georgia Williams, 80, of Olympia, who also dances with the group. “She wanted to do that for her friend, and I thought that was a wonderful thing. I gave her a lot of credit. That’s a long, long run and it took a lot of rehearsal on her part.”

Busse-Johnston wore a special pair of tap sneakers and a dance skirt for the event, which featured a live band about every mile on the course.

She finished about the same time as many who walked in it.

The dancer said she found much encouragement along the way from other participants; people also cheered for her along the sidelines.

“It kind of gave me wings,” she said. “I just did a whole lot better than I anticipated.”