Donegal woman will be out in force this Sunday the 2nd of April as they take part in the Rundonegal Womens 5K.

Brid Car

The popular event at 11am at the Finn Valley Centre in Stranorlar has been organised to raise funds for the Brid Carr Ovarian Cancer Research Fund.

The Brid Carr Ovarian Cancer Research Fund was established in honour of Glencolmcille woman Brid Carr, who sadly passed away aged just 54 after a battle with ovarian cancer.

In honour of Brid, Rundonegal have selected the Brid Carr Ovarian Cancer Research Fund to be the beneficiary of the run this year, having raised a staggering €50,000 for the cause in 2015.

The Rundonegal Womens 5k commenced in 2007 as a womens 3k. Founders Grace Boyle and Bridgeen Doherty wanted to encourage women to run, jog, walk or stroll with their buggies. Since then it has gone from strength to strength and is now a 5k event known as Rundonegal Womens 5k. It is a massive event for women all over the north west and beyond and all funds raised go to women/childrens’ charities.

The Rundonegal 5k takes place next Sunday 2nd April, at the Finn Valley Centre, Stranorlar @ 11.00am. Registration is open each day at the Finn Valley Centre and will start at 9.00am on the morning of the event. Entry fee is €10 which includes a tshirt and refreshments afterwards. First 400 entries are guaranteed a lovely Rundonegal tshirt. Almost 200 have already registered for the event.

Fundraisers with the The Brid Carr Ovarian Cancer Research Fund are delighted to be offered the opportunity to be the beneficiaries of the race again for 2017. In 2015, this was one of the group’s main fundraising events which helped them to raise over €63,000 for Ovarian Cancer Research.

As a result of the generosity of so many people, in volunteering and fundraising, they were in a position to co-fund, together with Breakthrough Cancer Research, a 3 year PhD scholarship in Ovarian Cancer Research in The Cork Cancer Research Centre.

The successful student, Jennifer Quinn has now almost completed her first year. A donation was also made to Professor Jonathan Ledderman, University College Hospital London for Ovarian Cancer Clinical Trials, where Brid was a patient.

Brid passed away in October 2014 after a long illness, aged only 54. Her wish was that her friends and family would create an awareness of this disease and support Ovarian Cancer Research. Ovarian Cancer is one of the silent cancers, is usually too advanced when diagnosed and very resistant to chemotherapy. She wanted every woman to be aware of the symptoms and if they are in any doubt to contact their GP and have the relevant blood tests and scans done.

The BEAT Ovarian Cancer Campaign is telling women across Ireland that they can BEAT Ovarian Cancer by knowing their bodies, knowing the signs and getting help at an early stage if they have any of the following signs for 3 weeks or more:

  • Bloating that is persistant and doesn’t come and go
  • Bating less and feeling full more quickly
  • Abdominal and pelvic pain you feel most days
  • Talk to your GP about your symptoms

The organisers wish to give a special word of thanks to Patsy McGonagle for his endless support in promoting this event every year and to the Finn Valley Centre for their facilities.

Patsy is forecasting sunshine and a very enjoyable day for everyone taking part. Organisers are looking forward to seeing as many ladies as possible there.

If you are unable to take part, and you would like to support this great cause, you can do so by visiting the bridcarrfund page on justgiving.com . Every donation, no matter how small will be appreciated.

For further details follow Rundonegal Womens 5k and Brid Carr Ovarian Research pages on Facebook.