More than 62,000 runners and walkers turned out for this year’s Denver Race for the Cure to remember all cancer survivors, to support them and to support finding a cure for breast cancer. Organizers said the event has raised an estimated $2.4 million for breast cancer research, education, treatment and screening programs, although the final tally won’t be available until other opportunities to support the race are added up. Up to 75 percent of the money raised will stay in the 12-county service area.

The Race is comprised of a women’s 5K run/walk; a co-ed 5K walk/run and a 1-mile family walk. The top three overall female winners for the 5K were Lynda Andros Clay of Edwards at 19:55, Jena Pohle of Aurora at 19:58, and Gwen Inglis of Lakewood at 20:09. The Denver Race is projected to raise more than $2.4 million for breast cancer research. Last year, the foundation was able to give more than $3 million in grant money to 32 local non-profits that help in the education, screening and treatment for breast cancer. While there still is no cure for one of the deadliest diseases among women, each year the Komen Denver Race and the Denver Metropolitan Affiliate of Susan G. for the Cure tries to raise money for Denver area non-for-profits that support breast cancer research.

Since its beginning in Denver, race events have contributed more than $20 million to local nonprofits for breast health projects and almost $8 million for breast cancer research.

More than 40,000 women will die from breast cancer in 2008. Breast cancer is one of the top leading causes of cancer death worldwide, with an estimated 500,000 death annually, according to the American Cancer Society. Almost 4,000 people are diagnosed with cancer daily in the U.S. On a national level, breast cancer represents the second leading cause of cancer death for women, exceeded only by lung cancer.

There are many events that are going to be held in the U.S in October, as the month is slated as the National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. These events are aimed to increase public understanding of the disease that claimed the lives of so many people, including its prevalence, approaches to screening and prevention, and new treatment options. The Sleep in for the Cure and Work out for the Cure events are scheduled to run through Oct. 17.

This action is organized each year by the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, which was founded by Nancy Briker in 1982 on a promise between two sisters. Susan Komen suffered from cancer and died three years after being diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 33. Nancy Brinker, kept a promise to her sister to try to find a way to speed up breast cancer research.

The organization has local affiliates in 125 cities and advocates at the local, state and federal level. A minimum of twenty-five percent of the net income from each domestic Affiliate Race supports the Komen for the Cure Award and Research Grant Programs, which fund groundbreaking breast cancer research, meritorious awards and educational and scientific conferences around the world, according to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Web site. Up to seventy-five percent of the net income from each domestic Affiliate Race stays in the local community to fund breast health education and breast cancer screening and treatment projects.

Susan G. Komen for the Cure, whose mission is “to save lives and to end breast cancer forever by empowering people, ensuring quality care for all and energizing science to find the cures” sustains breast cancer survivors and tries to increase public understanding of the disease.