Mother’s Day Classic returns with local events across the region

RECORD early registrations and a new partnership are set to make the 2025 Mother’s Day Classic one of the biggest yet, with more than 90 locations expected to host events across Australia on May 11, including major events in Geelong and other regional cities.

Mother’s Day Classic Foundation chief executive Zara Lawless said early signs pointed to another strong year, building on the 85,000 participants in 2024 who raised $3.3 million for breast and ovarian cancer research.

“The strength of togetherness was on full display last year, as the Mother’s Day Classic celebrated the addition of the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation while retaining our commitment to the National Breast Cancer Foundation – with incredible lifesaving results,” Ms Lawless said.

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

The 28th annual event has secured life and health insurer AIA Australia as a principal partner under a three-year agreement. Ms Lawless said the partnership would further support medical research and initiatives aimed at improving survival outcomes for breast and ovarian cancer.

Last year’s $3.3 million fundraising effort was the largest in a decade, with participants able to choose whether their contributions supported breast cancer, ovarian cancer, or both

The National Breast Cancer Foundation received $2.1 million, while the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation received $1.2 million.

National Breast Cancer Foundation chief executive Cleola Anderiesz said the Mother’s Day Classic had become a vital contributor to research.

“Together we can make our shared vision of Zero Deaths from breast cancer possible,” Dr Anderiesz said.

In Australia, 63 people are diagnosed with breast or ovarian cancer every day, while 12 people die from the diseases daily.

Breast cancer remains the most commonly diagnosed cancer in Australian women, while ovarian cancer is the most lethal gynaecological cancer, with less than half of those diagnosed surviving beyond five years.

The Mother’s Day Classic has donated more than $47.3 million to research since its inception in 1998.

Registrations are now open for the 2025 event at mothersdayclassic.com.au