Not very often do you get to run around Churchill Square in your underwear.
But Thursday afternoon was an exception, with the kickoff of the 2010 Alberta Cancer Foundation’s Underwear Affair.
Participants were forced to share a giant-sized pair of underwear and run through a small obstacle course. The race is a precursor to the main event: A five-kilometre walk and 10-kilometre run this summer.
Linda Mickelson, CEO of the Alberta Cancer Foundation, said events like these are important because “underwear cancers” are often overlooked. That includes cervical, ovarian, prostate, and other cancers below the waist.
“They don’t always get the attention that they deserve,” Mickelson said. “These cancers account for more than one-third of all of the new cancers that are diagnosed each year in Alberta — that’s a significant number — and we really think that it’s time that we did a little more to raise awareness about these cancers and to raise funds that are specifically targeting research in this area.”
One participant, Alex Gorski, said he and other colleagues joined the Underwear Affair events to support a friend who survived cancer.
“We basically want to make everyone aware that we are doing this and hopefully we can get more people out here,” said Gorski.
The five-km walk/10-km run Underwear Affair event takes place on June 19. To take part and raise funds, visit uncoverthecure.org.
