Breast Cancer Ireland’s virtual Great Pink Run is back again this year, and we want you to join the Pink Tribe and turn the world pink!

The Great Pink Run with Glanbia, supported by Joe Duffy Group and Avonmore Slimline Milk is an annual fundraiser that raised almost 1-million-euro last year to help fund Breast Cancer Ireland’s ongoing education and awareness campaigns. The event – which will be happening the weekend of the 16th and 17th of October – is also vital to raising funds for essential research into the disease, turning it from often fatal, to a treatable illness that can be maintained long-term.

And whilst this event has traditionally taken place in our local communities around Ireland, the aim this year is to go virtual and turn the globe pink! Breast Cancer Ireland is asking us to cumulatively walk, run, scoot or even crawl(!) the distance of the circumference of the globe – that’s 40,700km – over the course of the weekend of the 16th and 17th. You can log your distance online and be a part of something bigger with Breast Cancer Ireland and support their research and awareness programmes nationally.

Sunday strollers and marathon runners alike are all welcome to join from anywhere in the world – last year saw over 10 different countries participating – and participants are encouraged to try log 5k or even 10k if you’re feeling active! You can register at Greatpinkrun.ie – but hurry, if you want to receive your participation packs you need to register early!

Aisling Hurley, CEO of Breast Cancer Ireland had a message for all participating runners:

She also noted that they are ‘incredibly fortunate and appreciative to have the sterling support of our loyal sponsors, Glanbia and UPMC Aut Even Hospital, and to welcome on board a brand-new sponsor this year in the form of Joe Duffy Group. These sponsors, and others, support us in a myriad of ways, not just financially, but also by engaging with their employees and stakeholders, and have helped us to grow the event into the successful global initiative that it is today.’

Amanda Benham, a mum of three who was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer tells us what the fundraising from the Breast Cancer Ireland Great Pink Run means to her;

‘In March 2020, I found a small lump in my left breast. At first it didn’t worry me because I was 6 months pregnant and thought it was pregnancy related. After a few weeks I had a mid-wife appointment, and she had a feel and said better to get it checked so I rang my GP.

‘I had my first apt on the 6th of October and after a physical exam I was told that I would need an ultrasound but could be waiting months. So I rang a private clinic and got an appointment the following week. After a lot of other appointments with scans and a biopsy, I was diagnosed on the 27th of October with TNBC (Triple negative breast cancer). After more scans I started chemo on the 9th of December and after 8 rounds I finished on the 24th of March.

‘After finishing chemo I had a mammogram and ultrasound and my surgeon told me I had a full response to chemo and nothing could be found on my scans.’

Consistent research was needed to help people like Amanda work towards a cure and treatment that can be maintained long-term to treat this devastating disease. This year’s funding will go towards developing more effective targeted therapies for patients by focusing on two particular areas:

  1. Metastatic disease progression, where tumours evade traditional therapies, and migrate to invade major organs of the body.
  2. Investing in speeding up scientific research in everything from research settings to clinical trials. This way, collaboration will be easier and scientists nationally can access banks of information to help speed up discovery output.

Lots of well-known faces will be helping Breast Cancer Ireland to turn the globe pink, including Bobby Kerr, Virgin Media broadcaster, Elaine Crowley, influencer and TV personality as well TV Presenter, Nadine Reid. Sonia O’Sullivan Irish sporting legend is also a and longstanding Patron of the Great Pink Run:

‘The sheer colour and joy of the Great Pink Run is what I look forward to every year, and sharing the roads with those that run both in hope, and in memory of friends and family’ She shared.

This event is all about joining in together whether you’re 1 or 100! Registration is super easy – all you have to do is sign up on GreatPinkRun.ie, track your group’s distance during the weekend of the 16th & 17th October on your smartphone or phone app and upload your Km’s, to turn the globe pink! Be sure to share your photos, and videos across social media using the #greatpinkrun.

In the meantime, start getting excited to run, round up a gang of friends and family and get them to join the Pink Tribe.

Brought to you by Breast Cancer Ireland, Ireland’s leading breast cancer charity, charged with changing the landscape of breast cancer treatment into the future. www.breastcancerireland.com

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