Run/Walk for the Cure 2011

The 2011 edition of the breast cancer run and walk comes up on Saturday, March 19 2011 at 7 am sharp, rain or shine. Registration forms can be downloaded off the American International School of Lagos (AISL) website at www.aislagos.org.

Download the info sheet.

I've participated in the run for the last 2 years, though I walked. It was wonderful to be part of such a worthy initiative, which seeks to address a disease that affects countless women (and men) the world over. Research shows that cases of breast cancer in women of African descent can be particularly vicious, so it's definitely important to get involved.

A Run Towards the Cure - Breast Cancer

I had such fun last weekend. I participated in a charity walk to raise money for breast cancer prevention. A Run Towards the Cure was organised by Children Survival and Development of Nigeria (a nonprofit organization founded by Mrs. Onari Duke) and The American International School of Lagos, in conjunction with the Passionately Pink program through the Susan G. Komen foundation (a U.S. based foundation that has made historic gains in the fight against breast cancer).

I love walking (one of my secondary school nicknames was Miss Waka About) and combining it with a charitable goal is even better. I am vaguely familiar with the breast cancer walk organised by the Susan G. Komen Foundation in the States, and I remember it as being a 3-day walk (problem number 1) for which you had to raise a minimum of $1,000 (problem number 2). I never participated.

When my friend and Pilates instructor mentioned that she was putting together a team for the Run Towards the Cure, I hesitated because I DO NOT RUN. After she assured me that she would be walking, I agreed to.

Getting out of the house at 7am on a Saturday morning was not the big deterrent for as many people as I expected. The start point of the walk, American International School, was teeming with enthusiastic walkers. I also expected since breast cancer predominantly affects women (yes, a few men suffer from breast cancer too!), most of the runners/walkers would be women. And perhaps this was the case, but there was an unexpectedly high number of men and children taking part.

We started off from 1004 onto Samuel Manuwa street, onto Ozumba Mbadiwe and into Adetokunbo Ademola. We progressed down Ajose Adeogun and then looped back in front of Victoria Crown Plaza Hotel back towards the way we came. Some people ran quite alright, but most of us walked. Though not at what I would consider a leisurely pace. Shamed by the thought of strolling into the finish line, I ran that much and it felt good (ha!). I promised that next year I would consider running the entire route and would train for it. Well, it's good to be ambitious...