Help raise money for cancer research at Mother’s Day Classic

ORGANISERS of the upcoming Mother’s Day Classic (MDC) national fun run and walk are hoping for another record-breaking year, with early registrations at unprecedented levels.

Last year more than 85,000 participants took part in the event across 75 locations nationally, raising money for breast cancer and ovarian cancer research.

The Bendigo leg has a new location in 2025 at the Canterbury Park Event Space behind the McKern Skate Park in Eaglehawk, with the two kilometre course taking in both Lake Neangar and Lake Tom Thumb.

Mother’s Day Classic Foundation CEO Zara Lawless said events like the MDC have facilitated a significant improvement in survival rates for more than 21,000 Australians diagnosed each year with breast cancer.

“The MDC community has shown that it can and wants to strive for more, (and) to also improve the outcomes for women with ovarian cancer, a disease for which there is still no early detection test,” she said.

In 2024, the fundraising total of $3.3 million represented a jump of 30 per cent on the previous year and was the biggest in a decade.

“We believe this marks a crucial milestone in transforming the landscape of ovarian cancer research – driving increased funding, improving survival rates, and raising vital awareness within the community about the importance of (it),” Ms Lawless said.

The Bendigo leg of the 2025 Mother’s Day Classic takes place on Sunday 11 May at the Canterbury Park Event Space in Eaglehawk.

Registrations can be made on the MDC website at mothersdayclassic.com.au/event/mothers-day-classic-bendigo/home.