Thousands take part in Race for Life 2009 - pictures

Jun 29 2009 by Barry Gibson

Thousands take part in Race for Life at Leeds Road Playing Fields

THEY came in their thousands to raise money for the fight against cancer.

Some 6,000 women took part in the Race for Life in Huddersfield at the weekend, with organisers expecting to raise £330,000 for Cancer Research UK.

Two thousand women took part in the three-mile run around Leeds Road Playing Fields on Saturday with another 4,000 doing the course yesterday.

Many of the runners wore the names of loved ones effected by cancer as they completed two laps of the playing fields.

Organiser Imogen Johnson said: “It was a brilliant event with a really great atmosphere.”

Bex Bardon, 28, finished the race in 32mins 50secs. She said: “It was a good time and I’m really pleased that I managed to run the whole thing.”

The Elland woman’s family has been hit by cancer more than once. Bex said: “All three of my aunties have had breast cancer but they are all OK.”

She was supported by her son Kaius, six, and fiance Jonathan Telfer. Bex said: “When I finished Kaius said ‘mum, you did really well’, then I found out he had drunk all my water!”

Emma Kovaleski, from Skelmanthorpe, was running for her mum Helen Armitage of Marsh, who survived thyroid cancer a few years ago.

She said: “It’s something quite close to home for me.”

Emma, 29, came in 37th in Saturday’s run in a time of 26mins as her husband Brad watched on. She said: “It was a nice race and there was plenty of room.

Brighouse women Elaine Jenkinson, 55, Maxine Rowlands, 50 and Heather Benson, 55, completed the two laps in 28mins.

Heather said: “I think it was a very good time because it was our first time doing the race. We’ve been training for three months.”

She added: “We were running for the people we’ve lost to cancer. It’s sad in a way when you read the names on the back of people’s shirts.”