Cancer Research UK's Race for Life returns to Crawley

The charity’s much-loved events will be back in the autumn but with socially distanced measures to keep participants safe.

Money raised will help scientists find new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer, saving lives as the charity fights back from the impact of the pandemic.

The Crawley Race for Life event will take place on Saturday, September 18.

The bumper day will include a 3k, 5k, 10k and Pretty Muddy, a mud-splattered obstacle course, including a version for children. The events are open to people of all ages and abilities.

People signing up before July 4 can claim a special 30 per cent off the entry fee by using the code RFLJUNE30.

Every year around 52,100 people are diagnosed with cancer in the South East and one in two people in the UK born after 1960 will get cancer in their lifetime.  

Lynn Daly, Cancer Research UK’s spokesperson for Sussex, said: “Race for Life offers the perfect opportunity for people to run, walk or jog and raise money for life-saving research.

“All 400 mass participation Race for Life events across the UK were cancelled last year to protect the country’s health during the Covid-19 pandemic.

"So this year, more than ever, we need people to enter the Race for Life - for the people we love, for the people we’ve lost and for the one in two of us who will get cancer.”

Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life, which has been in partnership with Tesco for 20 years, is an inspiring series of 3k, 5k, 10k, Pretty Muddy and Pretty Muddy Kids event which raise millions of pounds every year to help beat cancer by funding crucial research. 

Money raised funds world-class research to help beat 200 types of cancer - including bowel cancer, prostate cancer, lung cancer, testicular cancer, brain cancer, children’s cancers and leukaemia.  

This year, participants will set off on the Race for Life course either alone or in small, socially distanced groups. Hand sanitiser will also be provided with participants encouraged to use it before and after the event.

Lynn added: “We’ll ask participants to respect social distancing before, during and after the event. But we promise our events will remain colourful, emotional and uplifting.

"The safety of our Race for Life participants is our absolute priority. We’ve been constantly monitoring the Covid-19 situation and have developed ways to ensure our events can operate safely, following government guidance.

"It may be that events look a bit different this year but we are working proactively with our venues and suppliers to deliver a socially distanced but great experience.

“Sadly, cancer touches almost every family at some point. Every step our scientists take towards beating cancer relies on our supporters. That’s why we people to join us, to stand united and do something extraordinary to help beat cancer.

“We know that 2020 was a year like no other and we had to overcome many challenges thrown our way during the global pandemic. But this past year proves, more than any other, the value of investing in science and medical research and what can be achieved by working together.

"Just like science is our route out of the pandemic, science is our route to beating cancer. We are absolutely determined to continue to create better cancer treatments for tomorrow.”

To enter, please visit raceforlife.org or call 0300 123 0770.  

If any Race for Life events are cancelled, people will be entitled to a refund of their entry fee or can choose to donate the fee to help fund Cancer Research UK’s life-saving work.

Thanks to the generosity of its supporters, Cancer Research UK’s work into the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer has been at the heart of the progress that has seen survival in the UK double in the last 40 years.

The charity was able to spend more than £30 million in the South East last year on some of the UK’s leading scientific and clinical research.