31st Annual Cancer Survivors’ Celebration Walk & 5K returns to Grant Park
On Sunday, June 2, cancer survivors, supporters and health professionals will gather to celebrate milestones and make an impact on the future of cancer care
CHICAGO – May 22, 2024 – On Sunday, June 2, the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University and Northwestern Medicine will welcome more than 3,000 cancer survivors and supporters back to Grant Park for the 31st Annual Cancer Survivors’ Celebration Walk & 5K.
Held on National Cancer Survivors Day, this community event features a non-competitive walk or chip-timed 5K run along Chicago’s lakefront, T-shirts, refreshments, music and entertainment, skin cancer screenings, activities for the family and a chance to share a message on the Dedication Wall.
“There are more than 18 million people living with a history of cancer in the United States,” says Leonidas Platanias, MD, PhD, director of Lurie Cancer Center at Northwestern Medicine. “Thanks to the physicians and scientists taking bold steps to detect cancer earlier and develop new therapies, that number is expected to grow. This annual event gives us the opportunity to celebrate survivors and their families and renew our commitment to defeating this devastating disease.”
The celebration is an opportunity for cancer survivors — wearing purple shirts — to connect and celebrate milestones with the friends, family members and medical professionals who have supported them along the way. The event is open to everyone whose life has been impacted by cancer, regardless of where they were treated.
The Walk route is approximately three miles, but participants are welcome to enjoy the lakefront path at their own pace and return to Grant Park’s Arvey Field (northeast corner of Columbus Drive and Roosevelt Road) whenever they choose.
Advanced registration is available online and is strongly encouraged. Runners must register for the 5K race in advance and can pick up their race bib with timing chip in Grant Park on the day of the event, starting at 8 a.m.
Day-of registration for walkers will also begin at 8 a.m. The 5K run will commence at 9:15 a.m., followed by the walk at 10:00 a.m., rain or shine.
All funds raised will directly support Lurie Cancer Center’s innovative research and survivorship programs. Fundraising is optional, and there is no minimum donation required. For more information on event activities, fundraising and registration, click here.
WHAT: 31st Annual Cancer Survivors’ Celebration Walk & 5K
WHEN: Sunday, June 2 (National Cancer Survivors Day)
- 8 a.m. — Event-day registration and t-shirt pick-up opens
- 8:30 a.m. — Welcome, warm-up and celebration begins
- 9:15 a.m. — 5K run starts
- 10 a.m. — Walk starts
WHERE: Grant Park’s Arvey Field, Chicago (northeast corner of Columbus Drive and Roosevelt Road)
WHO: Cancer survivorship experts and oncologists from Lurie Cancer Center are available for interviews as well as the following cancer survivors:
- David Berwanger, a 59-year-old head and neck cancer survivor who transformed his radiation therapy masks into superheroes, funny faces and popular movie characters. David will attend this year’s walk as a “Face of Cancer” honoree.
- Mike Hlavin, a three-time cancer survivor who found out he had melanoma after getting a free skin cancer screening at the 2023 Cancer Survivors’ Celebration Walk & 5K. Since 2010, the 58-year-old has faced prostate cancer and multiple myeloma in addition to melanoma.