Run for the Cure looks to boost numbers going forward

By Justin Seward - Lethbridge Herald on October 4, 2022.

Submitted photo by Stéphanie Crête Participants head out from the start line at the CIBC Run for the Cure at Henderson Lake Park on Sunday morning.

The Lethbridge CIBC Run for the Cure was held at Henderson Lake Park on Sunday morning.

Juanita Devos is the lone run director for the local event at this current time.

“We’re not able to attract more,” said Devos. “I don’t know, maybe after COVID people were not aware that it was going to be going again. But it is and so next year we hope to make it bigger and better.”

Over 165 participants came out on the warm, sunny autumn morning and over $23,000 was raised to go towards breast cancer research.

“A lot of fun was had,” said Davos. “Right now we’re sitting in what earlier was the Hope Lounge. The Hope Lounge is an area special for people who are either suffering from or have survived or going through the process of having breast cancer. We’ve had a number of volunteers which is amazing. We had at least 20 volunteers and everybody just was really energetic today.”

Davos noticed that there were less participants and less money raised in 2022.

“Whether that’s just because people weren’t aware or whether it’s like I’m not sure you know of coming together as a group with COVID, she said.

“It didn’t feel like coming back. It felt like starting over.”

Davos said there wasn’t a moment when she didn’t think it was going to happen.

“Even when we had one run director who left and then we had another run director who left,” said Davos. “In my personal life, this has been a cluster cuss of a summer. I’ve had family die, I had a family member die of cancer, I had serious family injuries, I had illnesses and it’s just been really hard to focus on getting this run done. It’s almost felt like something was trying to stop it and we just soldiered on.”

“Many participants came up to me and said thank you so much for doing this again,” said Davos.