Welcome to the Bedford 5k to Beat Lung Cancer!
A message from event organizer Jean St-Amand:
The Countdown to the Bedford 5k is on!
Hello, everyone. Registration is picking up steadily and the anticipation is growing for this year’s Bedford 5k to Beat Lung Cancer.
Our big emphasis this year is on participation. Not only is that the source of the bulk of the funds we raise for the Canadian Cancer Society, but it’s also a central part of our mission with this event – to raise awareness and increase the profile of the struggle against lung cancer that so many families face.
The Canadian Cancer Society is projecting that in 2010 alone, some 24,200 Canadians will be diagnosed with lung cancer. And more than 85% will die from it. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death for both men and women in Canada.
Just imagine how significant a change in peoples’ lives there would be if researchers were able to make significant steps toward finding a cure for lung cancer? Currently, 5-year survival is only 15%. This is a form of cancer that badly needs more attention and more funding for research.
So, my email today is a simple appeal. Please bring a buddy to the Bedford 5k to Beat Lung Cancer. If you can, bring ten. The more people we have together on Sunday, the more good this event can do.
Friends, neighbours, family members, coworkers – all are impacted personally by lung cancer in some fashion in the course of their lives. It’s my hope that with light shining on this dark disease, we’ll finally give researchers the help they need to strike a blow for lung cancer fighters and honour the memory of those who fought and lost their fight with the disease.
80 registrants and counting. Help us get over the 300 mark by Sunday.
Thanks everyone!
Jean St-Amand
Buy a milestone marker on the route, get a receipt, and keep it!
Our milestone markers are back and we have more available for you this year. For those of you that don’t know… we have markers along the route that help tell you where to go. And those markers are sponsored by individuals, families and businesses in honour of a cancer fighter, or just generally for the cause. You get to keep your marker afterwards, and if you buy it for your company, you can have your logo put on it and display it in your office! They’re only $50, for which you will receive a charitable donation receipt from the Canadian Cancer Society. Email me at info@bedford5k.com if you’d like to buy one for yourself!
Online registration closing on Friday, June 25th at 2pm!
If you know people that plan to register, please remind them that online registration closes a week from today.
Race kit pickup and race-day registration
Race kit pickup will be available at the Running Room in Sunnyside Mall on Friday, June 25 from 6-8 p.m. and Saturday, June 26 from 12-4 p.m. We will also be taking registrations in person during those times. On race day, we also offer race kit pickup and last-minute registration from 7 a.m.-8:30 a.m.
The run will start at 9 a.m. this year
The run will start at 9 a.m. this year, again with the kids going first to be cheered on by the adults. We do have some activities planned, including formal warmups, announcements, thank-you’s, etc. beginning at 8:30, so please come on down to DeWolf Park early.
Raise pledges offline and online
Make more money for the Canadian Cancer Society! For those that are interested, pledge forms are available – just email me and I’ll get them to you. For those of you that have registered through the Running Room website, if you log in to your “athlete dashboard” you can use their system to send emails to your contacts and solicit donations online!
Prizes, Prizes, Prizes
We have many prizes to give away, so if we’re lucky and weather doesn’t chase all of you away, stick around for more entertainment and draw prizes after your run or walk. You do have to be there to win!
Medal customization and possibly even t-shirts
We’re of course going to keep on with our service of medal customization. Every Bedford 5k medal has a spot on the back for your name, the date and your time. Just remember to bring a little extra cash to the run if you want to take advantage of that – the service is $5 per medal with $2 each going to the Canadian Cancer Society. And, due to popular demand, we’re working on t-shirts! I say “working” because we had an unfortunate supply problem that may mean we won’t get them in time, but our fingers are crossed. If all goes according to plan, we’ll have a limited supply of adult dry-fit t-shirts with the Bedford 5k logo for $25 each, and kids cotton t-shirts with the logo for $15.
Announcing the G.D. St-Amand Memorial Trophy
This event, while clearly about every family that is affected by cancer, also has a personal relevance to me and my family. It was my father’s struggle with Lung Cancer, which he finally lost in December, that inspired me to start this event 3 years ago. And so this year, I am pleased to announce the G.D. St-Amand Memorial Trophy, upon which the names of the male and female adult winners of the Bedford 5k to Beat Lung Cancer will be inscribed (including the winners of our past two years). The trophy will have a permanent home in Bedford sport, likely in the trophy case at the new FourPad when complete. We felt this was a fitting way to honour my father’s contribution to his community and the values he instilled in me for volunteerism and community building.
Become a Fan on Facebook
Don’t forgot to become a fan of the Bedford 5k to Beat Lung Cancer on Facebook. We make plenty of announcements there, and we’ll upload pictures after the run there as well.
Put up some posters
Sure, there’s only a week to go – but quite honestly we get more than half of our participants on the last day before the run, so there’s still time to help us promote the run/walk. If you would like a poster to put up at work, you can either print one off yourself from the website (www.bedford5k.com) or you can email me and I’ll arrange to get a couple to you. I greatly appreciate any help you can provide.
Listen for us on C100
C100 is going to help us promote the run/walk – they’re a long-time part of Bedford Days and so we’re grateful they’re going to give us a push.
We’re on the lookout for final sponsors or draw prize donors
And finally, we’re always looking for companies interested in helping out with their wallets or gear to give away. So if you own a company or know of someone that you think might have a personal tie to our cause, please let them know that we’re interested in speaking with them.
That’s it for now. Please share this email with anyone you can think of that may have an interest in our event. See you for race kit pickup and a terrific run/walk on the 27th! As always, if anyone has any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to email me at info@bedford5k.com.
Cheers,
Jean St-Amand
Director, Bedford 5k to Beat Lung Cancer
www.bedford5k.com | 902.830.1055
