[C]ARLISLE Race for Life is returning to Sheepmount Stadium – after being forced to reroute the course for the last two years due to flooding damage.
Organisers of the popular 5k, 10k and Pretty Muddy 5k obstacle course – which raises thousands of ponds for Cancer Research UK – have been visiting the recently reopened venue to let Carlisle ladies know the event is open for entries.
Cancer Research UK organisers were determined that the floods wouldn’t stop them bringing Race for Life and Pretty Muddy 5k to Carlisle after damage caused by Storm Desmond in December 2015.
In order for the event to go ahead instead of running around Sheepmount Stadium, participants were re-routed through Bitts Park and around Swifts Golf Course at the 2016 and 2017 events.
Lauren Robertson, Carlisle Race for Life Event Manager, said they were delighted to be able to go back to the traditional route around Sheepmount Stadium this year and to see the new facilities.
This year’s event takes place at Bitts Park on Sunday 15 July. The charity has also added a new Race for Life 5k, 10k, Pretty Muddy and Pretty Muddy Kids series at Lowther Castle in Penrith on 9 and 10 June as well as a Windermere Race for Life Hike on 19 May.
Lauren said: “It will be great for our runners, joggers and walkers to return to the Sheepmount Stadium course again this year.
“We always get such a great response from ladies in Carlisle.
“We wanted to celebrate the reopening of Sheepmount by coming to see the venue and we’ve also been trying out some of our obstacles ready for the Pretty Muddy course.”
A team of volunteers and event managers have been promoting the local Race for Life events in Carlisle this week and will be back in town next weekend.
They will be encouraging passing mums, daughters, sisters and friends to sign up and help make a real difference in the fight against cancer.
The team will also be on hand to answer questions about fundraising and the impressive strides Cancer Research UK scientists are making to treat, diagnose and prevent cancer.
Lauren added: “Life-saving research is being funded right now thanks to the women of Carlisle who take part in Race for Life.
“We hope that people be inspired to join the fight and sign up to take part in Race for Life. By raising money, our participants play a crucial role in helping to turn discoveries made in the lab into better treatments for patients in Cumbria and across the UK.”
Every week, around 60 people are diagnosed with cancer in Cumbria*. Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life, in partnership with Tesco, raises millions of
pounds every year to help beat cancer sooner by funding vital research.
Thanks to the generosity of its supporters, the charity was able to spend over £28 million last year in the North West on some of the UK’s leading scientific and clinical research – helping more men, women and children survive the disease.
Lauren added: “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 amble, a 10k sprint or a mud-splattered dash around the Pretty Muddy obstacle course, it’s not about being first over the finish line – it’s the taking part that counts.
“Joining the start line at Race for Life is a hugely moving experience. It’s a special opportunity for people to come together to remember loved ones lost to cancer or celebrate the lives of those dear to them who have survived.”
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.
To enter Race for Life today visit www.raceforlife.org or call 0300 123 0770.
