St. Augustine runs for breast cancer

By Alexis Mortenson | gargoyle@flagler.edu

One of the largest series of 5K run/fitness walks in the world, the 18th Annual Susan G. Komen North Florida Race for the Cure will be held on Oct. 20, 2012, at the Metropolitan Park in Jacksonville, Florida

The race has multiple options for participants. It consists of the 5K timed, the 5K un-timed (run or walk), and the 2K (run or walk).

“It is a great opportunity to celebrate a loved one, or to donate to a team or participant,”says Ella Hardey, a volunteer from the Komen Foundation’s North Florida Chapter.

The money raised by the North Florida Race for the Cure funds education, screening and treatment programs for undeserved women and men in the local five-county Northeast Florida region. Twenty five percent of funds from this race will go directly towards national research for breast cancer.

The Susan G. Komen Foundation was established by Nancy G. Brinker in 1982 and has invested in almost $2 billion dollars toward finding a cure for breast cancer. The foundation has contributed to the fight against breast cancer through research, community health outreach, advocacy and programs in more than 50 countries.

“My mother had passed away from breast cancer, so we’ve been giving back to the cause for the last four years now,” Hardey said.

If attending the race is not possible, people can donate between 25 and 100 dollars online on the foundation’s website.

To learn more information about the foundation, or to register for the North Florida Race for the cure, visit http://www.komennorthflorida.org/.