(June 27, 2009) Boxers or briefs? There were plenty of both on hand at the inaugural Denver Undy 5000 June 27 at City Park. The Colon Cancer Alliance hosted the “brief” 5k walk/run to raise awareness and funds for the fight against colorectal cancer. The event raised more than $100,000; $30,000 of which will benefit the Colorado Colorectal Screening Program at the University of Colorado Cancer Center. The remainder of the proceeds will benefit colon cancer survivor support chapters and support groups.
An estimated 1,024 runners and walkers wore anything from running shorts to their wildest pair of boxers as they took part in the 5K run and 1K fun run. Participants also received a commemorative pair of Undy 5000 boxers.
"Thanks to the hard work and dedication of members of the Colorectal Task Force of the Colorado Cancer Coalition and our partners in the community, we were able to bring the Undy 5000 to Denver and it was a blast," says Andrea Dwyer of the University of Colorado Cancer Center. "Denver set a record for most participants in an initial race, with nearly 1025 participating and raising over $100,000, of which a portion will be donated to the Colorado Colorectal Screening Program."
Toby Morton, former writer of South Park and MadTV, in conjunction with the Colorado Cancer Coalition, was on hand to debut creating a short educational video at the race. Also, the Brethren Fast, a local Denver band, performed after the race.
Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States, but it is preventable through early screening.
This important but fun event is being held in different cities across the country throughout the year to educate the public about colon cancer and early screenings.
National sponsors included Salix Pharmaceuticals, Sanofi-aventis, Genentech, and MITA (Medical and Imaging Technology Alliance) and the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons. Local sponsors included the Rocky Mountain Gastroenterology Associates, Arapahoe Gastroenterology, Good Belly, Exempla Lutheran Hospital, Colorado Cancer Coalition, Prevent Cancer Foundation, 9 News and 850 KOA. Proceeds of the event benefited the Colorado Colorectal Screening Program at the University of Colorado Cancer Center.
For more information visit: www.undy5000.org
Photo: Top, Andrea Dwyer, right, and Susan Rein, RN, BSN, left, both of University of Colorado Cancer Center, stand on either side of Neil Toribara, MD, of Denver Health-GI Doc.