Woman across Scotland are being urged to kick start the New Year by signing up to Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life 2018.
Every day, 87 people are diagnosed with cancer in Scotland* and the number of people being diagnosed with cancer has now reached around 31,700 cases each year. That’s why Cancer Research UK is calling on women of all shapes, sizes, ages and abilities to fight back against this devastating disease by entering a Race for Life event in Scotland. Money raised will help scientists find new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat the disease, helping save more lives.
This January, women are being offered 30 per cent off entry fees for all Race for Life events in Scotland- so it’s the perfect time to sign up. Organisers are appealing for women and girls to stride out to beat cancer sooner with Scotland’s first Race for Life 5K of the year kicking off in Stirling and South Queensferry on May 13, closely followed this spring by events across the country, everywhere from Glasgow to Irvine, Falkirk to Fife.
Lisa Adams, Cancer Research UK’s spokeswoman in Scotland, said: “January is the perfect time to commit to getting a little more active and take on a new fitness challenge.
“Race for Life offers the ultimate motivation. By taking part and raising money, participants will be helping to fund vital cancer research. It’s time to mark the New Year and make a resolution to remember. By joining like-minded ladies committed to the cause, women can unite against a disease that affects us all in some way.
“Race for Life events are non-competitive and participants can choose to walk, jog, or run around the course. Whether they’re planning a 5K stroll, a 10K sprint or a muddy splash around a Pretty Muddy course, every step women take will help to support life-saving research.
“Pledging to take part in Race for Life is a great incentive for women to pull on their trainers and join thousands of ladies across the UK who are coming together in the fight against cancer. Money raised is helping to drive research to help beat over 200 different types of cancer- so every person, step and penny raised makes a real difference.”
One in two people in the UK will be diagnosed with cancer at some stage in their lives but the good news is more people are surviving the disease now than ever before. Cancer survival in the UK has doubled since the early 1970s and Cancer Research UK’s work has been at the heart of that progress.
Cancer Research UK’s life-saving work relies on the public’s support. Thanks to the generosity of its supporters, the charity was able to spend more than £34 million last year in Scotland on some of the UK’s leading scientific and clinical research – helping more men, women and children survive the disease.
Glasgow is home to the Cancer Research UK Beatson Institute where an exciting programme of work has been established to look for ways to tailor treatment for pancreatic cancer. Our researchers in Glasgow and Edinburgh are trying to develop new drugs to target an aggressive type of brain tumour called neuroblastoma. In Edinburgh the charity funds world-class researchers including a team at the MRC Human genetics unit, who are leading research in to the genetic and environmental causes of bowel cancer. This important work is bringing us a step closer to tests that can spot people at higher risk of the disease so they can be offered tailored advice, screening and treatment to improve survival for people with this type of cancer.
Race for Life events in Scotland 2018:
- Sunday May 13: Race for Life Stirling 5K, Gannochy sports centre, University of Stirling and Race for Life 5K and 10K, Hopetoun House, South Queensferry
- Sunday May 20: Race for Life Glasgow, 5K and 10K, Glasgow Green
- Wednesday June 13: Race for Life Irvine 5K and 10K, Beach Drive, Irvine
- Sunday June 17: Race for Life Dundee 5K, 10K and Pretty Muddy, Camperdown Park, Dundee and Race for Life Falkirk 5K and 10K, Callendar Park, Falkirk
- Saturday June 23: Pretty Muddy Fife 5K and Pretty Muddy Fife Kids 5K, Beveridge Park, Kirkcaldy
- Sunday June 24: Race for Life Fife 5K and 10K, Beveridge Park, Kirkcaldy and Race for Life Edinburgh 5K and 10K, Holyrood Park, Edinburgh
- Saturday September 22: Pretty Muddy Edinburgh 5K and 10K, Royal Highland Centre, Edinburgh
- Saturday September 29: Pretty Muddy Ayr 5K, Pretty Muddy Kids, Ayr Racecourse