Cleveland, Ohio, Sept. 24, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Join organizer Colorectal Cancer Alliance and local host Cleveland Clinic for the 2019 Cleveland Undy RunWalk, a 5K and one-miler to raise the awareness and funds needed to help end colorectal cancer, while also honoring those touched by the disease.
The Undy kicks off at 9 a.m. on Saturday, September 28, at the Flats East Bank. Registration is available here.
The Colorectal Cancer Alliance provides medals for the top survivor finishers and top three finishers of each gender. All participants receive a pair of the Alliance’s specially designed undies for the run or walk, and people of all fitness levels can participate.
“We must celebrate the victories and honor those who have gone before us, all while taking steps toward a cure,” said Carole Motycka, this year’s Cleveland Undy RunWalk survivor speaker. “I don't want people to remember me or my name, but I want them to remember a girl who was completely healthy at 40 years old, had four kids and an amazing life, and then one day she got really sick.”
As many as 6,200 Ohioans could be diagnosed with colorectal cancer this year, according to estimates from the American Cancer Society, and 2,110 may die. Cases of young-onset colorectal cancer, occurring in people under the age of 50, are increasing, and doctors aren’t sure why.
Although colorectal cancer is the second deadliest cancer, it is also among the most preventable and treatable. The five-year survival rate for colorectal cancer found at the local stage is 90 percent, compared to 14 percent for colorectal cancer found at distant stages.
“We do this event to honor and respect those who have battled this disease, but also to raise awareness for all the others in whom colorectal cancer might be prevented,” says Matthew Kalady, M.D., Co-Director of the Cleveland Clinic Comprehensive Colorectal Cancer Program. “The general public needs to be aware that colorectal cancer happens in about 5 percent of the population, it can happen in young people, and that it can be prevented through early screening, or cured if caught at an early stage.”
The Undy RunWalk is a key fundraising source for the Colorectal Cancer Alliance, which seeks to end colorectal cancer in our lifetime through its initiatives to screen, care, and cure. This year, the Cleveland Undy RunWalk aims to raise $107,000, which will fund national prevention, research and patient support programs.
The Cleveland Clinic is the presenting sponsor of the 2019 Cleveland Undy RunWalk.
Event details:
What: 2019 Cleveland Undy RunWalk
Who: Colorectal Cancer Alliance
When: Saturday, September 28, from 7:30 - 10:30 a.m. (Opening remarks at 8:40 a.m.; race begins at 9 a.m.)
Where: Flats at East Bank, 1055 Old River Road, Cleveland, Ohio, 44113
For more information, please contact:
Steven Bushong
Senior Manager of Strategic Communications, Colorectal Cancer Alliance
330-957-0484 (cell)
About the Colorectal Cancer Alliance
The Colorectal Cancer Alliance is a national nonprofit committed to ending colorectal cancer. Working with our nation of passionate allies, we diligently support the needs of patients and families, caregivers, and survivors, eagerly raise awareness of preventative screening, and continually strive to fund critical research. As allies in the struggle, we are fiercely determined to end colorectal cancer within our lifetime. For more information, visit ccalliance.org.
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