Fun Run to raise money for ovarian cancer
Olympic Medallist, Sonia OSullivan in action
The Clayton campus will again play host to the Emer Casey Fun Run, an event that aims to increase awareness of ovarian cancer and raise funds to research the disease.
Three hundred competitors are expected to attend the run, after the event attracted more than 100 participants and raised over $20,000 last year.
The run is named in honour of Emer Casey, an Irish woman whose family was inspired to create a foundation in her name after she died of ovarian cancer in 2006 at the age of 28. One of Ireland’s greatest track athletes, Olympic medallist Sonia O’Sullivan will again lend her support, returning to Melbourne to compete.
Ovarian cancer is often described as a “silent killer”, being one of the least easily detectable forms of cancer. It is the leading cause of death from gynaecological malignancy in the western world.
The Foundation is dedicated to addressing some of the factors that make the disease such a problem, including the lack of a standardised screening test, the high rate of recurrence and the late presentation of the disease.
This year all proceeds from the run will go to the research being carried out in Australia by the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre. The money will help researchers learn more about ovarian cancer and create better outcomes for women touched by the disease.
Participants can choose to compete in either a 10 kilometre run or a 5 kilometre walk.
The event will be held on Sunday, 22 May and the meeting point will be Oval 3, located on Union Loop road at the Monash University Clayton campus. Registrations open at 8.30 am.
For more information on the event, visit the Monash Sport website.