Running in Your Undies Can Save Lives

The Undy 5000 5K Run/Walk returns to its birth city for the fourth consecutive year and will be held 9 a.m. Sept. 10 at on Martin Luther King Drive beside the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

The event will help bring greater awareness to colon cancer, the second-leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States.

The Colon Cancer Alliance, the nation’s largest and oldest patient advocacy organization dedicated to ending the suffering caused by colon cancer, hosts the event. 

The Undy 5000 will be held in 12 cities across the country this year to educate the public about colon cancer, promote screenings and encourage people to talk about the disease.

Instead of raceday T-shirts, all registered participants receive a commemorative pair of Undy 5000 boxers.

It is a family friendly event open to all ages.

In addition to the 5K, there is a one-mile fun run.

This event also raises much needed funds to support and build the CCA’s national and local patient support and innovative public awareness programs.                

Every 10 minutes, a life is lost to colon cancer.  

According to the American Cancer Society, 142,000 new cases of colon cancer will be diagnosed, and nearly 50,000 deaths are expected in 2011. The event particularly stresses the importance of timely colon cancer screening, and also provides valuable information for those already affected by the disease. 

Although many people may consider colon cancer an embarrassing topic of conversation, this is one talk that could save a life. In fact, through recommended screening, this cancer can be caught early when treatment is most effective — or even prevented altogether when pre-cancerous polyps are detected and removed. Talking with your doctor about colon cancer is essential to ensuring optimal screening, prevention and early detection, and treatment.
 
More information about the Undy 5000 is available online at www.undy5000.org.