Registration opens for the Especially for You® Race Against Breast Cancer
Registration for the 27th annual Especially for You® (EFY) Race Against Breast Cancer is now open at www.especiallyforyourace.org. Race day is Sunday, Oct. 1.
Teams may register online through Sunday, Sept. 10. Individuals may register online up until 7:30 a.m. on race day. Early registration is encouraged.
The race provides financial assistance for breast-care and gynecological cancer services to local individuals in need.
Co-founders of the race are Mercy Medical Center and General Mills. Those who register for the race receive an EFY t-shirt and a General Mills goodie bag.
Vote for Your Favorite T-shirt Color
For the first time, this year’s race t-shirt color will be determined by the outcome of public voting on EFY and Mercy social media sites Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. The three color choices are gold, maroon and charcoal gray. The winning color will be revealed at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 18, at the Mercy Women’s Center.
Race Follows Popular Course Route
The EFY Race offers a 5K run, 5K walk or a family fun walk covering a course route similar to last year. The race starts at 8 a.m. just outside the Hall-Perrine Cancer Center on the Mercy Medical Center campus at 701 10th St. SE, finishing in the historic NewBo district on Cedar Rapids’ southeast side. Live music, a pancake breakfast and children’s activities will take place at the finish line.
How You Help
Race organizers expect approximately 16,000 registrations this year. Last year, 15,558 people participated and supported the EFY fund, which is used locally to provide financial assistance for breast-care services such as mammograms, ultrasounds, biopsies, digital breast tomosynthesis and Molecular Breast Imaging (MBI) for individuals in need. Financial assistance for services related to gynecological cancer screenings and testing are now included as well. Since 2008, EFY has helped more than 5,000 people in need, right here in our community, access more than 10,000 breast-care services.
The race and the fund are dedicated to the memory of Sandy Knight, a Whittier resident and General Mills employee who died of breast cancer in July 1991. She helped organize Mercy’s Especially For You After Breast Cancer Support Group. Her dream was to establish a race to raise funds for breast cancer awareness and education.
For more information, visit www.especiallyforyourace.org or call the EFY race line at (319) 398-6582.
Breast cancer is most treatable and curable when detected in its earliest stages. Even so, breast cancer claims nearly 40,000 lives each year. This number can be reduced with early detection through clinical breast exams and mammography.
