The Shepparton community is gearing up for the annual Mother's Day Classic event on Sunday, May 14 in support of breast cancer awareness and fundraising.
The national fundraising event returns to Victoria Park Lake for its 11th Shepparton edition.
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The event includes a 2km and 4km run or walk around the lake and an 8km run.
There will also be a coffee van and music for participants and their families to enjoy.
“Although we’re there to honour people we may have lost or celebrate those in remission, the main theme of the day is fun,” event co-ordinator Kathy Fuller said.
“We would love everybody to come down — see you at the lake, and think pink!”
Shepparton Runners Club has supported the Mother’s Day Classic in Shepparton since its inception, providing pacers to encourage people on the 8km run.
“Not only is it a worthy cause, but it’s encouraging people to get out, have a bit of a trot around before their Mother’s Day brunches or whatever it might be,” club president Chris Nicholson said.
“It brings families out too, it’s great to see Mum, Dad and all the kids having a run, and that’s what we’re all about.”
Genesis Care provides radiation oncology services in Shepparton, which were previously only available to local people with breast cancer in Albury, Bendigo or Melbourne.
The oncology centre has been in Shepparton for three years and involved with the Mother’s Day Classic for two.
Patient service officer Allison Elliott said the funds raised were invaluable for breast cancer support nurses and research into the many different kinds of breast cancer.
“When it comes to cancer, it doesn’t discriminate, so we like to put as much into the community as we can in regards to it,” she said.
“Our team is so passionate about this cause, we don’t just work in cancer, we experience it with our patients day to day, so these events are so important.”
The Mother’s Day Classic has raised more than $41 million for the National Breast Cancer Foundation over its 25-year history, with more than 1.5 million participants across the country.