Women of Guildford are being urged to join forces and show cancer who’s boss by signing up to Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life 2014 which is now open for entries. This year there will be two 5k events taking place at Surrey Sports Park on Sunday, 25 May and entrants of all ages, shapes and sizes are welcome!
The Guildford course is a one-lap route around Surrey Sports Park, taking in both grass and tarmac terrains, circling the sports pitches and the business park. The races will begin at 11am and 2.30pm with adult entry fee costing £14.99 for 16+ women and £10 for girls aged 6-15 and boys under 13 years old.
Every day, around 120 people are diagnosed with cancer in the South East of England and so raising funds by participating in this event will help Cancer Research UK support research into all aspects of cancer prevention, diagnosis and treatment. Through the work of over 4,000 scientists, doctors and nurses, the world’s leading cancer charity has helped save millions of lives and its research has been at the heart of the progress that has already seen survival rates in the UK double in the last forty years.
Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life (in partnership with Tesco) is a women-only series of 5k and 10k events which raises millions of pounds every year to help defeat cancer. Race for Life started as one event in 1994 at Battersea Park with 680 participants and since then, an incredible 7.1 million participants across the UK have raised over £526 million to fund Cancer Research UK’s vital work.
This is the second year that the Race for Life in Guildford has taken place at the University of Surrey’s Sports Park with 4,088 women taking part last time out, raising a fantastic £307,693.00 in the process. This year, the meeting point is the grass pitch behind the all-weather pitches and organisers are looking for 6,000 women and girls to stride out to help raise £435,000.00.
Cancer Research UK’s Guildford Events Manager, Fiona Miller has said, “We’re calling on Guildford’s mighty-mums, gutsy-grans, feisty friends and go-getting girls to join our formidable army and take on cancer at this year’s Race for Life. We know how committed Guildford women can be when they really make up their minds to do something. We want to harness that power to stop cancer in its tracks, by raising money for life-saving research.”
Everyone who takes part in Race For Life, from the participants themselves to the millions of supporters who sponsor and encourage them, become part of a powerful collective force rising up to beat cancer sooner. Cancer Research UK receives no Government funding for its ground-breaking work, but with help from the people of Guildford, the charity intends to bring forward the day when all cancers are cured.
And Fiona has also gone on to say, “Race for Life is non-competitive; it’s not about being fit or fast. Most women are able to walk 5k in an hour while chatting and having fun. Or they can choose to jog, run or even dance around the course if they prefer… [It is] an amazing way to celebrate life, but also remember those who have been lost to the disease. There are over 200 cancers and we won’t give up until we find cures for them all.”
Everyone is special, everyone is somebody’s mum, dad, brother, sister, friend or colleague, so help this great cause by applying to race HERE (by 22 May) or to volunteer on the day by applying HERE.
James Martin