‘Corri la Vita’ (Run for Life) Breast Cancer Fundraiser

 

Sunday, Sept. 29: CORRI LA VITA (Run for Life) walk and run. Start at Cascine Park (viale Lincoln, Piazza Vittorio Veneto, 9:15 am) and end at Loggia dei Lanzi in Piazza della Signoria.

It is truly the inhabitants of the beautiful city of Florence that keep it running, and now it is time for the people to run for their city in a moving demonstration of solidarity, health, and community in the 22nd annual Corri La Vita, or Run for Life. Over the past two decades, this non-competitive sports event has welcomed over 480,000 participants, generated over €8,700,000, and provided quality care to over 500,000 women suffering from breast cancer, through the funding of projects based on prevention, early detection, and treatment of the disease.

To accommodate differing preferences, participants in the run are given the option of two unique routes to choose from. For those who appreciate a challenge, the 11 km (6.8 mi) path is the perfect choice; for those who prefer to admire the path’s cultural landmarks at a more leisurely pace, the 6 km (3.7 mi) one is ideal. 

This year, Corri La Vita is collaborating with the national network of Senology Centres, Senonetwork, to invest in both the training and education of young breast cancer specialists and the improvement of quality control at Senology centers. Money raised for scholarships will focus on facilitating data collection on breast diagnostic tests and risk factors linked to lifestyle and eating habits, enhancing the capacity for biological characterization of breast tumors, and improving identification of female carriers of specific genetic mutations.

A great perk of Corri La Vita is that participants are allowed free entrance to some of the city’s best museums, including the Palazzo Strozzi, currently displaying their new exhibition “Helen Frankenthaler: Painting without Rules,” the fascinatingly informative Ferragamo Museum, which is presenting “Salvatore Ferragamo 1898-1960,” for fashion history lovers, the Stibbert Museum, for fanatics of ancient armor and artifacts, and the wonderfully unique miniature train HZero Museum for kids and kids at heart. Additional free attractions include but are not limited to the Museo degli Innocenti, the Astrophysical Observatory of Arcetri, the Santa Croce Complex, the La Specola Natural History Museum, and Palazzo Medici Riccardi.

Up to the day of the race, the event’s coveted t-shirts, wrapped in 100% biodegradable packaging and signed by designer Salvator Ferragamo, will be available for collection through a minimum donation of 10 euros. The color chosen this year is a deep forest green. For those who are not able to make a physical donation at one of the distribution points, an online donation on the website www.corrilavita.it will still guarantee free delivery throughout Italy, while supplies last.

In addition, the Villaggio della Salute (Village of Health) event will take place from Friday 27 to Sunday 29 in the Piazza della Repubblica, allowing the possibility of getting a mammogram at the ISPRO mobile unit, taking gymnastics and pilates lessons, and speaking with nutritionists and sports doctors, as well as collecting one of the t-shirts. (Ayana Wilmot)