Lace up for Mother’s Day Classic

HUNDREDS of runners and walkers are expected at Victoria Park this Sunday morning, 10 May to take part in the annual Mother’s Day Classic fun run.

The nation-wide event raises money for breast and ovarian cancer research and is locally hosted by Fernwood Ballarat, offering the chance to register in 10km and 5km distances, or in the 5km Survivors’ Walk.

“We’re expecting we’ll have 1000 participating this year,” said Fernwood Ballarat’s Lee Squire.

“We started with 100 when we took it on in 2021 and it’s been growing each year. Last year we had 800.”

Squire said more volunteers are being welcomed to assist with the Classic’s 6am set-up, and formalities are scheduled to kick off at 8.15am

“Fernwood will do a warm-up on the stage and then we start with the 10km runners,” she said.

“The 5km runners follow and then the walkers. The atmosphere is electric.

“It’s a beautiful day when we all come together and there are some tender moments on the day for those people who have lost loved ones.

“We’re also appealing to businesses to contribute to our goodie bags for participants.”

With more than 90 Mother’s Day Classic events nationwide, the annual fundraiser is an untimed a fun run, but there are prizes up for grabs.

Among those looking forward to doing the 5km Survivors’ Walk is Kate Treacy who has a personal reason to appreciate the Classic and what it means for those impacted by cancer.

The mother of two lives with stage four breast cancer and has participated in the Ballarat fun run for the past nine years.

“I was a keen casual runner and I used to run in it, but I was I was diagnosed through COVID and for the last three years I have been doing it as an ambassador,” said Treacy who will be walking as part of a team of eight.

“We’re five years in now and it is what it is. It’s incurable so they call it a chronic illness.

“At the moment my medication is keeping everything at bay and I’m able to live a relatively normal life.”

More information and registrations for teams, individuals and volunteers can be made online at mothersdayclassic.com.au