Sea Point promenade was a sea of bright colour as over 5000 people dressed up in their craziest outfits in support of the Hospice Palliative Care Association’s (HPCA)* annual Lace up for Cancer fun run/walk.
The event, which is now in its sixth year, was sponsored by Cancer Care** and supported by the City of Cape Town.
The Cancer Alliance is the beneficiary of the event, which is a collective group of non-profit organisations advocating for better care & support for cancer patients and their families. The organising committee has representatives from the HPCA, Sunflower Fund, CANSA, CHOC, People Living With Cancer and Love Your Nuts.
People of different ages and walks of life excitedly made their way to the starting point on the forecourt at the Cape Town stadium ahead of the 10km fun walk start at 08h00am. The 5km fun run/walk began 15 minutes later. The route followed saw participants proceed down Fritz Sonnenberg Road to Beach Road, where they walked along the Sea Point promenade. The event concluded at the Green Point Track.
According to HPCA CEO, Dr Liz Gwyther, they were overwhelmed at the support they received this year for the Lace Up for Cancer event. “Our event started off in 2012 with only a handful of people. Last year, we had approximately 3,500 participants and this year the response was absolutely amazing.”
“On Saturday 4 February was World Cancer Day. This event was in honour of those who have lost their battle with cancer and for those people who are bravely still fighting. We wanted to raise awareness that cancer can be beaten and that life should be celebrated,” she added.
There were a number of celebrities who showed their support for cancer. These included radio personality, Tapfuma Makina who completed his maiden 5km fun run, fashion blogger Nadia Jaftha and Mr South Africa 2017, Habib Noorbhai.
According to race director, Farouk Meyer, the event was a success and no incidents were reported. “Our aim was to organise fun, exciting but safe event. We ensured that all our event requirements met the City of Cape Town and traffic and law enforcement guidelines.”
“All our road marshalls were well briefed and this assisted with a pleasant fun run/walk experience. Thank you to our event partners, sponsors, staff and volunteers for ensuring that this Lace Up for Cancer fun run/walk was a success.
**Cancer Care was previously known as GVI Oncology.
**Click on the link to view the SABC news clip
