Registration is now open for the 2025 Spirit of Survival, taking place on the first weekend of October.
The annual event is hosted by the Cancer Centers of Southwest Oklahoma and raises money for cancer research and to help patients in Southwest Oklahoma needing assistance with their cancer treatment.
This year’s race is going to look a lot like last year’s as the events, distances, routes, and costs are all the same.
Angelina Baker, a co-race director, said one of the great components of the Spirit of Survival is that it raises awareness.
“We have families that will make t-shirts, and they all come in matching t-shirts or they hold up a picture of a loved one as they cross the finish line,” she said. “So, it’s a great community event, but a great way to honor those who have lost their battle or those who are still fighting.”
They also have a Spirit Walk for cancer patients and survivors.
“It’s so important to show those who are fighting that they’ve got that support,” Baker said. “There will be a lot of people who come to all of the events who will wear a different colored shirt that signifies that they’re a survivor, and it’s really special for them to get to see that there’s a day that’s kinda spotlighting them – that’s giving them some encouragement.”
The money raised through the walk goes to help patients at all four of their locations in Lawton, Duncan, Altus, and Chickasha.
“All of the programs the money goes to benefit things like the clinical trials, things like our transportation program, it’s so, so, so important to our patients,” Baker said. “There are a lot of patients who would not be able to come and get their treatment without the transportation program that we provide. So a lot of those proceeds go to help and pour right back into the community. It doesn’t go anywhere on a national level. It doesn’t go to pay salaries. It goes to help friends and neighbors right here in Southwest Oklahoma.”
If you’d like to sign up for the bike race or walking/running events, go to spiritofsurvival.com. The bike rides are on October 4, and the walks and runs are on October 5.
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