2010 Race for the Cure^®

September 12, 2010

Together we'll help run breast cancer out of town!

To become a sponsor contact Michelle Marquez, Director of Development, mmarquez@komennyc.org, 212-461-6186.

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2009 Race for the Cure^®

Celebrities from film, music and television joined over 24,000 participants — including more than 1,500 breast cancer survivors — at the 2009 Susan G. Komen New York City Race for the Cure® on Sunday, September 13 in Central Park.

Those in attendance included actress Uma Thurman; actress, Komen Ambassador and Circle of Promise spokesperson Gabrielle Union; Stephen Colbert, host of Comedy Central’s The Colbert Report; longtime Komen Greater NYC supporter television star Judge Judy Sheindlin; and Grammy Award-winning singer Cyndi Lauper. Thurman, Colbert and his family, and Sheindlin fired off the three Race start guns. Lauper sang The Star Spangled Banner while Union spoke in Survivor Village before the Race and greeted fans in the Education Expo afterward.

“New York State’s cuts to the Cancer Screening Program have created a real crisis for our organization and the people we serve,” said Dara P. Richardson-Heron, M.D., CEO for the Komen Greater New York City Affiliate. “If reduced funding delays diagnoses, it could lead to increased cancer-related health care costs and premature, unnecessary deaths.

“That’s why this year’s Race is more important than ever. We have committed a portion of the monies we raise this year for grants to underwrite mammography screening something the State used to fund. Regular mammography and early breast cancer detection finds tumors when they are small and most responsive to treatment. Early detection is the key to surviving breast cancer.”

Race participants walked or ran the 5K (3.1 mile) course through Central Park. The Race also included a special shortened course for the disabled, elderly, cancer survivors undergoing treatment and others who cannot finish the complete route.

Race for the Cure outreach has been multilingual with “save the date” flyers and some breast self-exam information translated into Bengali, Hindi, French, Creole, Korean, Chinese and Spanish. Materials have been disseminated by Komen Greater NYC grantees in an effort to make the Race even more representative of metropolitan New York’s diversity.

The Education Expo, located west of the Bandshell, was expanded to include representatives from 27 breast health organizations funded by Komen Greater NYC, who handed out materials and talked with Race participants about breast health. Actress and Komen Ambassador Gabrielle Union was in the Education Expo to meet fans and talk about the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Circle of Promise, an initiative aimed at engaging African-American women in the fight against breast cancer.

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2008 Race for the Cure^®

More than 25,000 people — 25,420, including 1,661 survivors — lined up on Central Park West before 9:20 am on Sunday, September 14 for the 2008 Komen NYC Race for the Cure®. Men, women and children filled Central Park with attendance up nearly 15 percent from 2007.

Ask anyone who was there, the Race was astonishing — an incredible achievement — which wouldn’t have been possible without the work of the Race co-chairs, Komen staff and volunteers.

"What an absolutely extraordinary event!” said first-time Race participant and new Komen Greater NYC CEO Dara P. Richardson-Heron, MD. “The excitement and sense of community spirit was truly amazing — from the incredible rainbow of over 25,000 participants, survivors, celebrities and Komen staff proudly wearing their Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure t-shirts to the fabulous volunteers cheering everyone on. It all made me feel truly blessed to lead this wonderful organization and be a part of this special day."

“Breast cancer knows no boundaries — not age, gender, socio-economic status, geographic location or economic climate,” continued Dr. Richardson-Heron. “The current economic crisis makes it even more imperative that people donate — even if only five or ten dollars.”

“Reaching our goal,” she explained, “will allow Komen Greater NYC to fund breast cancer education, screening, and treatment programs for those who need it most — the un- and under-insured and immigrant women of New York City, Westchester and Rockland Counties and Long Island.” This year, there was a record number of teams — 812.

The 2008 Race Educational Expo was extremely successful. More than 21 Komen Greater NYC community-based grantees were on hand. There was also a mobile mammography van on site with educational handouts and health educators who answered questions.

Iris Dankner, Race Chair, has participated in eleven Races. “What struck me this year,” she said, “was how many more survivors attended. The turnout was great. More than 25,000 people came to Central Park for the same purpose — to help fight breast cancer. They were there because they had a connecting experience with the disease.”

Dankner, a breast cancer survivor, reflected on the day’s power, “I think about how lucky I am and what I’ve been through,” she explained. “Race Day allows survivors to remember and feel their emotions so that Monday morning they can move forward again.”

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2007 Race for the Cure^®

In 2007, participants included 667 Race teams as well as families, co-workers, friends and individuals all determined to fight the disease and achieve the vision of a world without breast cancer.

The Komen New York City Race for the Cure is the premiere fundraising event for the Greater New York City Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure. The first Race was held in Central Park in 1991 with a few thousand women participating. The Race has grown steadily and dramatically since.

One of the largest races in New York City, Race participants come from all over the world; the majority are from New York City, Long Island, Westchester and Rockland Counties, New Jersey and Connecticut.

The Komen Race for the Cure series is the largest 5K run/walk in the world. Since its origination in 1983, the series has grown from a single local race with 800 participants to an international series of 120 races with more than 1.3 million participants.

Return to Komen Affiliate Events.