The Walk For Life was back in force yesterday (Sunday) as over 5,500 people took to the streets for the first time since 2019 to raise almost 33,000 euros for cancer charities and research under the slogan ‘Juntas Siempre – Together Always’.
The walk started at 11.00am in Siam Mall under blazing sunshine led by the mayors of Adeje and Arona, the president of the Cabildo, and the president of the Carrera por la Vida Foundation, Brigitte Gypen, who carried the official banner showing their support and solidarity of the wave of pink behind them.
Brigitte told Canarian Weekly that she was “super grateful and overwhelmed by the amazing response after the last two editions were held online due to the pandemic. We are very happy to have been able to go out on the streets again, there was a lot of passion and that has been seen among the public”.
After weaving through the streets of Las Americas, the walk finished in the Golden Mile to a carnival atmosphere with drummers, dancers, live music, and huge amounts of confetti.
Among the people taking part this year were tourists of different nationalities, representatives of teams created online, the attendees of Think Pink Europe, several local dignitaries, and thousands of local residents supporting their loved ones.
Unfortunately, the players of the UDG Tenerife Egatesa ladies football team, the godmothers of this edition, couldn’t participate in the walk, as it coincided with their match in the women's football league.
The Race for Life, which first took place in 2005 in Santa Cruz, has now become the main charity event that features the most people on the island of Tenerife. The previous attendance record was 5,200 in 2018, which has been exceeded this year with 5,500 participants.
But, beyond the tangible data, the atmosphere of hope that was generated by the event is the biggest mental and psychological boost for anyone facing the disease.
Congratulations to everyone involved and roll on 2023!
Photos: Siroldgolfer
