Race For Life 2019

This was the second time I had taken part in Race For Life which is a charity fun run to raise money for Cancer Research UK, a very important charity in my eyes. Especially as I have lost two members of my family to cancer. I took part in it in 2018 as well as 2019. So here's a little blog post about Race for life.

Registration

To register for Race for life, you just go here and search for races happening in your local area. Belfast is my closest race and it happened on Sunday 26th May. It is £14.99 for an adult to register. I'm not sure how much it is for children. After you register, you will receive a pack in the post which will feature your race number, a sponsorship form, a page for you to design with the name of the person (or people) you are running for and a few other bits and bobs 

regarding your race. 

                                         My work of art.

Preparation:
You don't have to go to the gym every week to get "fit" for taking part in race for life. I didn't go to the gym once as we have walked the 5K both years. If you are planning on running the 5k or the 10k, then I would recommend doing some sort of preparation beforehand. 

Who can take part?
Everyone, yes EVERYONE, can take part in Race for life. This was the first year than men were officially allowed to participate. (Race for life was originally a race for breast cancer UK). This year at the Belfast race, I saw men, woman, children and even dogs (yes dogs in prams). There were people of all ages too, even people carrying their little babies. Race for life is for everyone. There were people there this year in wheelchairs, walking aids and even people who had gone through cancer treatment or were receiving treatment for cancer. For my family, it's about all of us getting together and doing our bit to help kick cancer's ass. I lost my Uncle George and my big brother, Adrian to cancer. I also know someone who is currently going through treatment and someone who thankfully fought the disease and won. 

What to wear?
Something pink lol. Ok, so wearing pink is not compulsory but the majority of people will wear something pink as that is the main race for life colour. I love looking down from the front of Stormount buildings and just seeing a sea of pink. It's pretty darn amazing. So what to wear to the event? Honestly? Whatever you want. I will recommend comfortable, sensible shoes though. I wear my Skechers trainers but I would be perfectly fine wearing my converse. I wear my gym leggings from Primark and this year I wore my race for life t-shirt which I purchased off the official website. You might be able to purchase race for life merchandise in your local Cancer Research shop but my local one didn't have any. What I will say though, is wear something comfortable. Obviously, the weather will play a part in what you wear too. Last year the weather was beautiful whereas this year it was freezing. I ended up wearing my hoody the whole time as I was really cold. After I had finished I had to put another jacket on me to keep me warm while we waited on my niece to finish. If it's raining, bring a waterproof coat or poncho with you to keep you dry. If it's sunny, a hat and sunglasses would be recommended (and don't forget the suncream). Some people like to go all out and dress in costume which is perfectly acceptable. A group of lads had pink tutu skirts on them and pink wigs which was amazing to see them getting into the spirit. 

This was what I wore last year. 

What to bring with you?
Well that all depends on you, yourself and your needs. Personally, I like to bring as little as possible to the actual race. I took a backpack last year and it was annoying to carry around with me, especially when we did decide to run. This year I took a bumbag (or fannypack) with me and it made my life so much easier. I only had my phone with a £20 put in the case, tissues and some lip balm. I also had a bottle of water with me to keep to hydrated as I walked. As my brother in law took us to Belfast, I did have a bag which I left in the car with a change of clothes in it and some sweets. I didn't need the change of clothes but it was just in case we went somewhere nice afterwards for food. A change of clothes would be a good idea, in case it is raining but that might not be an option if you have to travel on public transport to get to the race. Remember to bring your race number and some safety pins and the sign with who you're running for. On the back of your race number you can write an emergency contact number on it and if you have any health conditions. 

On the day:
On the day of the race, make sure you get to the location early. The Belfast race started at 10am. I don't know about other events around the country but in Belfast, we have Cool FM, our local radio station there to get the party started. Someone is there to do a warm up with participants. The DJ then informs everyone of when they are going to go. Usually the 10K people will go first, then the 5K runners and lastly, the walkers. For people not participating but who are just there to support their family and friends, there should be somewhere for them to set up deck chairs or a picnic. There's also a hot food van, ice cream van, coffee cart and a stall selling Race for life merchandise. There is also a photo opportunity wall where you can pin your signs onto and hold up props for photos. Sadly, the signs do get binned but I prefer to keep mine.

Sponsorship:
There are two main ways for people to sponsor you. The first is on your official just giving page that you automatically get when you register for the race.
Here is my page - You can share this on your social media, in group chats or with friends and family. This is an easy and safe way to get people to sponsor you. The money automatically goes to Cancer Research and you don't have to do anything. You can get up group fundraising pages too if a large group of you are participating. The second way is with your sponsorship form. I pinned mine to the notice board in the tea room in work. You can even photocopy yours if need be. It's an easy way to get sponsors in work or your school/college/uni etc or to kindly ask your neighbours. Last year I took my form and money into my local Cancer Research shop but this year we donated the money onto my just giving page. I'm pretty sure you can post your money off but I'm very vary of sending money by post in case it goes missing. So far, at the time of writing this post, I raised a brilliant £120. 

My top tips:
1) Get there early: Try and get there early so you can get the car parked and find your way to the starting line. This will also help if you're meeting people there. 
2)Bring a drink: Keeping hydrated is very important so bring a bottle of water with you while you walk (or run). You will get a bottle of water once you finish.
3)Arrange a meet up place: Before you start, arrange a meet up place with the rest of your group in case someone gets separated or for people who are running or doing a different race. 
4)Use the bathroom before hand: We are quite lucky in Belfast in that there are decent public toilets as well as the horrible portaloos. Make sure you use the bathroom before you start as you might not get the chance until you finish.
5) Be respectful of other participants: Respect doesn't cost anything and there will be hundreds of other people taking part, people of all ages so be respectful of others. People will be walking, others will be running, some may have kids and some may even have dogs with them. Look out for other people as someone might be struggling. Kindness goes a long way and everyone taking part in Race for Life is there for the same reason, to help defeat cancer. 
6) Have fun: In my honest opinion, Race for Life is not a competitive race that's all about getting that personal best or winning a medal, it's about raising money for a very important charity.