Great Pink Run with Glanbia comes to Chicago Oct. 5, 2019

Irish Olympian Sonia O’Sullivan to lead family-friendly 5k and 10k to raise funds for international breast cancer research

CHICAGO – Lace up your shoes: There’s a new pink in town. The Great Pink Run with Glanbia is coming to Chicago’s Diversey Harbor on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2019. This family-friendly event offers a 5k run, jog or walk and a 10k challenge and will bring together walkers and runners, men, women and children, of all ages and levels in support of collaborative breast cancer programs between leading U.S. and Irish centers of excellence.

Assistant Majority Leader Tony Munoz (D-Chicago) attended the launch event for the race on June 29 in support of its efforts to expand breast cancer research in Chicago, across Illinois and Ireland.

Proceeds from the 2019 Great Pink Run with Glanbia will benefit Research A Cure, a not-for-profit 501(c)3 organization, established to support international breast cancer research. This year, funds raised will support Chicago’s own Ludwig Center for Metastasis Research at the University of Chicago, directed by Professor Geoffrey Greene, Ph.D.

Irish Olympian and sporting legend, Sonia O’Sullivan, will lead the CARA-certified event. Participants are encouraged to dress in their most outrageous pink outfits. All participants will receive a fabulous pink T shirt, a finishers’ medal, some goodies but most of all, will enjoy the “pinktastic” festival of fun. Registration is available at www.greatpinkrun.com.

There are over 11,000 cases of breast cancer diagnosed annually in Illinois. Unfortunately, everyone knows someone that has been affected. The Great Pink Run is an opportunity to come out and show support. It is expected that 1,500 men women and children will take part in this inaugural U.S. Great Pink Run with Glanbia.

“We are very excited to bring the Great Pink Run to Chicago this year to support the amazing work U.S. and Irish scientists and researchers are doing to help find a cure and provide less invasive treatment options for women – and men – diagnosed with breast cancer,” said Aisling Hurley, President of Research A Cure, an Illinois-based not-for-profit dedicated to raising funding to support collaborative breast cancer research between the leading scientific minds in the U.S. and Ireland.

Since 2011, funding from the Great Pink Run in Ireland has made a massive difference in changing the landscape of breast cancer treatment. Collaborative Research Fellowships have been established supporting studies relating to Triple Negative Breast Cancer – a breast cancer subtype mainly found in younger women – as well as ongoing support for research into metastatic disease. Breast metastasis occurs where cancer reoccurs in other parts of the body, but originally started in the breast, and so scientists and clinicians are working tirelessly to identify ways of prohibiting this spread and thereby transforming this disease from often being fatal into a long-term treatable illness.

The Great Pink Run is supported by Glanbia, a global nutrition group, which has deep roots in the greater Chicago region. Commenting on the Great Pink Run Chicago, Michael Patten, group HR and corporate affairs director at Glanbia, said, “We are excited to partner with the Great Pink Run in its inaugural year in Chicago. This follows on from many successful Great Pink Run events in Ireland over the years where Glanbia employees proudly joined the ‘Research A Cure’ and raised funds for this very worthy cause. Good nutrition and fitness are widely recognized as helping to protect against cancer and support overall health and well-being, so we are proud to be involved with this event, which supports the pioneering research work of the Ludwig Breast Center at the University of Chicago. We encourage as many people as possible to come out and run, jog or walk this beautiful route along Diversey Harbor and help make a difference for breast cancer research.”