Set for its 17th annual running, Vancouver’s Girlfriends Run for a Cure Half Marathon is more than just a road race – it’s an event that seeks to both empower and encourage women as well as raise needed funds for breast cancer research.
The race is run as a benefit for the Oregon and Southwest Washington chapter of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the nationwide nonprofit organization/network of breast cancer survivors and activists who help promote the cause through events like the organization’s annual 3-Day For The Cure, a 60-mile walking event that takes place in 14 cities across the United States from late July through mid-November each year.
The Girlfriends Half is an event that’s run very much in the same spirit, as many of the participants get dressed out in pink running shirts, shorts and caps for the race, which they are permitted to take part in any way they like – walking, jogging or running. And, as a special treat for the finishers, there’s chocolate at the finish line for every runner or walker who completes 13.1 miles.