On your marks, get set - it's go for the fight against cancer

The date for this year’s event has been set and it’s Sunday, July 1. The 5k and 10k runs will be held along the Promenade at Coronation Drive.

Women are being urged to sign up for it now as there is 30% off entry fees for those who register their place in January.

Every day, 40 people are diagnosed with cancer in the North East.

But by signing up to Race for Life, runners will be raising money which will help Cancer Research UK scientists find new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat the disease, helping save more lives.

Frances Kippax-Geary, Cancer Research UK’s Hartlepool event manager, said: “January is the perfect time for women in the North East to commit to getting a little more active in 2018 by signing up for Race for Life and taking on a new fitness challenge.

“For those who need some extra encouragement to get moving, Race for Life offers the ultimate motivation. That’s because by taking part and raising money, participants will be helping to fund vital cancer research.”

She added: “Taking part in Race for Life is a hugely moving experience. It’s a special opportunity for people to come together to remember loved ones lost to cancer or celebrate the lives of those dear to them who have survived.”

One in two people in the UK will be diagnosed with cancer at some stage in their lives, but cancer survival in the UK has doubled since the early 1970s and Cancer Research UK’s work has been at the heart of that progress.

Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life, in partnership with Tesco, is a series of 5k, 10k, Pretty Muddy and Hiking events which raise millions of pounds every year to help beat cancer sooner by funding crucial research.

Dr Áine McCarthy, Cancer Research UK’s senior science communications officer, said: “There are over 200 types of cancer and we need continued investment in research to help us find new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat them all.”

To enter Race for Life, visit www.raceforlife.org or call 0300 123 0770.