Race for Life is a series of fundraising events, organised by

charity Charity may refer to: Giving * Charitable organization or charity, a non-profit organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being of persons * Charity (practice), the practice of being benevolent, giving and sharing * Ch ...

Cancer Research UK Cancer Research UK (CRUK) is the world's largest independent cancer research organization. It is registered as a charity in the United Kingdom and Isle of Man, and was formed on 4 February 2002 by the merger of The Cancer Research Campaign and t ...

. They involve running, jogging or walking a 5-kilometre, 10-kilometre or 'Pretty Muddy' course and raising

sponsorship Sponsoring something (or someone) is the act of supporting an event, activity, person, or organization financially or through the provision of products or services. The individual or group that provides the support, similar to a benefactor, is k ...

for doing so. The money raises funds for

cancer research Cancer research is research into cancer to identify causes and develop strategies for prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and cure. Cancer research ranges from epidemiology, molecular bioscience to the performance of clinical trials to evaluate and ...

in all 200 types of cancer. The Race for Life series of events is open to people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds take part in the Race for Life, and with more than 150 Race for Life 5k events across the United Kingdom. The event was previously restricted to women only.

History

Cambridge Race For Life 2011 Parkers Piece

The Imperial Cancer Research Fund identifies Jim Cowan as having the original idea for the Race for Life. The Fund then engaged Mr. Cowan to organise and act as race director for the first Race for Life event, which took place in 1994 in Battersea Park, London, where 750 participants raised £48,000. The following year, the race was extended to 6 venues and had 4,500 participants with £210,000 raised. It continued to grow year on year to become one of the UK's largest fundraising events, which in 2006 involved 240 races, 750,000 participants and raised £46,000,000. Since Race for Life began in 1994, 6,000,000 women across the UK have raised over £493,000,000 for the charity. Notable participants include:

Jane Tomlinson Jane Emily Tomlinson, (née Goward; 21 February 1964 – 3 September 2007) was an amateur English athlete who raised £1.85 million for charity by completing a series of athletic challenges, despite suffering from terminal cancer. Having ...

, whose first fundraising event was a Race for Life in 2001 after being diagnosed with terminal

breast cancer Breast cancer is cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipple, a newly inverted nipple, or a re ...

. She went on to raise over £1,750,000 for charity before her death in 2007. In 2009, actresses

Laila Morse Maureen Oldman (born 1 August 1945), known professionally as Laila Morse, is an English actress. Her roles include Janet in the drama film '' Nil by Mouth'' (1997) and Mo Harris in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. Early life Laila Morse wa ...

and

Lynda Bellingham Lynda Bellingham, OBE ( ; 31 May 194819 October 2014) was an English actress, broadcaster and author. She acted in television series such as '' All Creatures Great and Small'', ''Doctor Who'', '' Second Thoughts'' and '' Faith in the Future''. Sh ...

became a Race for Life ambassadors in memory of

Wendy Richard Wendy Richard (born Wendy Emerton; 20 July 1943 – 26 February 2009) was an English actress, known for her television roles as Miss Shirley Brahms on the BBC sitcom ''Are You Being Served?'' from 1972 to 1985, and Pauline Fowler on the soap ...

and

Jade Goody Jade Cerisa Lorraine Goody (5 June 1981 – 22 March 2009) was an English television personality. She came to public prominence in 2002 when she appeared on the third series of the Channel 4 reality show '' Big Brother''. She went on to s ...

, both of whom had recently died from cancer. Bellingham later died from cancer in 2014. The rules were amended in 2012 to allow boys up to the age of 12 to participate following a determined campaign by Claire Parke. In 2019, Cancer Research UK opened Race for Life to anybody regardless of age and gender. Unfortunately, in 2020, the Race for Life events were postponed until 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so instead a new and virtual event was created; it was dubbed ''Race for Life at Home''.

Run for Moore

Following complaints from John Taylor claiming that the Race for Life was in breach of Section 29 of the 1975 Sex Discrimination Act (which states it is illegal to discriminate in the provision of goods, facilities and services), the Equal Opportunities Commission wrote to Cancer Research UK which then launched the 5 km Run for Moore. The proceeds from this event only went towards

bowel cancer Colorectal cancer (CRC), also known as bowel cancer, colon cancer, or rectal cancer, is the development of cancer from the colon or rectum (parts of the large intestine). Signs and symptoms may include blood in the stool, a change in bowel m ...

research and campaigns. The venture was discontinued in 2010.

References

External links

* *
Cancer Research UK websiteRace for Life's myspace profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Race For Life 5K runs Cancer fundraisers 10K runs Recurring events established in 1994 Cancer organisations based in the United Kingdom 1994 establishments in the United Kingdom Charity events in the United Kingdom Sex segregation

History

Run for Moore

See also

References

External links