Himley Park Race for Life raises £300k for charity
[gallery]Thousands of fundraisers braved the rain and biting cold to run the Race for Life, after the event was cancelled months ago.
Torrential downpours left Himley Park in Dudley too waterlogged to hold the event in July, but come rain or shine, fundraisers were determined the race would go on yesterday.
The day was split into two races with around 1,500 people taking part in each – one at 10.30am and the other at 2.30pm. While the showers stayed away for most of the morning, they did however appear for the afternoon's session but thousands battled through the poor weather regardless.
Dressed as pink ballerinas or even moustachioed Mexicans in sombreros – the park was transformed into a sea of pink as people completed the 5km course, helping to raise £300,000 for Cancer Research UK.
Among the fundraisers was Kate Mateo-Salt, a 45-year-old learning support practitioner running in memory of her Spanish father Carlos Mateo, who died of cancer when she was just 14. And she really stood out from the crowd for being one of the few who managed to stay mostly dry, under the unusual choice of Mexican costume – with blankets and sombreros.
Mrs Mateo-Salt, a mother-of-two from Great Barr, ran with her mother-in-law Valerie Salt who is herself a breast cancer survivor aged 67, and Valerie's daughter Nicola Farrington, a recruitment consultant living in Halesowen.
Between them the trio raised £260.
Event manager Tracey Duffy said: "The ladies did a fantastic job."
Nationally, Race for Life hopes to raised £45m this year alone, while across the West Midlands, its 20 events will raised around £1.5m.
