Thousands of men gathered at Johannesburg’s Zoo Lake for the Hollard Daredevil Run to raise awareness of the importance of early cancer detection on September 27.
The Cancer Association of South Africa (Cansa) and the Prostate Cancer Foundation of South Africa benefit entirely from the earnings of this annual 5km run, which has spread across the country.
CEO of the Prostate Cancer Foundation of South Africa, Andrew Oberholzer, said that these events are critical as they generate massive educational opportunities on a national level to educate men and boys about prostate and testicular cancer.
“Increasing the event’s reach this year is the fact that men were invited to run anywhere in any province in South Africa. Neighbourhoods, schools, corporates and sports clubs arranged numerous satellite runs across the country,” said Andrew.
The most frequent cancer among men between the ages of 15 and 35 is testicular cancer. Prostate cancer affects as many as 1 in 6 men and is predicted to become the most common cancer in South Africa by 2030.
Black African men have a 60% greater risk of acquiring prostate cancer than their white counterparts.
However, the chances of fully recovering from these cancers are significantly increased by earlier detection, which can also save lives.
“Running in just a speedo is something that asks a lot of men, more than most people understand. But dealing with cancer requires a great deal more. And that’s part of why this platform works so well in helping people understand the importance of catching these cancers early,” says Warwick Bloom, head of group PR at Hollard.
More than 3 000 men participated at Zoo Lake, bringing the total number of courageous men to 5 000.
