Relay fundraiser readies return

MORE than 100 people are preparing to take to the track at Federation University as part of the first Ballarat Relay for Life in three years.

The event was last held in 2020 where it raised about $75,000 and with nearly a week to go before participants get moving, committee chair Lacie Ryan said she’s wanting more people involved.

“Now that people are coming back to things and there’s a lot of conflicting charities happening, lots of people are busy elsewhere,” she said.

“We’ll be confining the event to one day because of that and a stricter budget. So the main aim of this one is to settle back in and hopefully we’ll go back to overnight again.

“This year there’s a massive urgency to get people to register and since Christmas we’ve been trying that.”

More than 160 participants and 16 teams are registered, and Ms Ryan said she’d like to see about 250 people take part.

Relay for Life Ballarat is traditionally held as an overnight event where participants start at midday and run until the following day.

Proceeds go towards Cancer Council, with relayers generally dressing in purple and promoting the central theme of “celebrate, remember, fight back.”

The overnight relay is meant to symbolise a cancer survivor’s journey from diagnosis to treatment to recovery.

Ms Ryan has been taking part in the event since 2011 and said she’s looking forward to seeing the friendly atmosphere return.

“There’s something about coming along with a team of people with the food trucks and entertainment,” she said.

“Something I really favour is the candlelight ceremony to remember those we’ve lost which stay lit throughout the event.

“It’s honestly impossible to tell people what Relay for Life is; they need to see it.”

Relay for Life’s Ballarat event will take place from 1pm on Saturday, 18 March at Federation University.

Online registrations can be done via the Relay for Life website and will close this Sunday after which people will be able to register in-person on the day.