Press release:
What do thousands of athletes in such notable 2011 events as the ING New York City Marathon, the Bank of America Chicago Marathon, and the Dodge Rock 'N' Roll Seattle Marathon & Half Marathon have in common? The opportunity to raise awareness and millions of dollars to fight cancer through their participation in DetermiNationTM, the American Cancer Society's new endurance event training program. Now, through a nationwide expansion of the charitable initiative, Seattle-area athletes of all abilities, across a wide spectrum of events such as marathons, half-marathons, triathlons and cycling races, will be able to dedicate their training and race experiences to the Society's mission of fighting cancer and saving lives.

The 2011 DetermiNation event is just weeks away, taking place on June 25th on a spectacular and scenic course from Tukwila to Qwest Field.

"DetermiNation represents the hard work, strength and commitment needed to compete in an endurance race, and these are the same qualities the American Cancer Society calls on every day in the race to save lives," said Erin O'Dell, volunteer chair for Seattle's DetermiNation team.
"Through the commitment of these athletes, alongside the efforts of those who support them, their endurance training will become more personally significant as they make an impact here in Seattle."

DetermiNation was born out of a program called Charity Runner, which was begun in 1996 by an individual in the American Cancer Society's Illinois Division who wanted to run a marathon in memory of a friend he had recently lost to cancer. Because of the program's rapid growth, the Society decided to expand this initiative nationwide to include all types of endurance events. In the years prior to advancing the program to a national platform, thousands of athletes made their miles more meaningful by raising millions to fight cancer.

While raising money to support the American Cancer Society's efforts to fight the disease and save lives, Seattle-area DetermiNation team members receive numerous benefits to help them achieve their personal victories, including free team training, social opportunities, race weekend amenities, mentor support and more.

Endurance athletes in Seattle and anyone interested in joining them and the American Cancer Society in helping eliminate cancer as a major health problem and in helping more people celebrate more birthdays should visit acsDetermiNation.org for more information.

The American Cancer Society combines an unyielding passion with nearly a century of experience to save lives and end suffering from cancer. As a global grassroots force of more than three million volunteers, we fight for every birthday threatened by every cancer in every community. We save lives by helping people stay well by preventing cancer or detecting it early; helping people get well by being there for them during and after a cancer diagnosis; by finding cures through investment in groundbreaking discovery; and by fighting back by rallying lawmakers to pass laws to defeat cancer and by rallying communities worldwide to join the fight. As the nation's largest non-governmental investor in cancer research, contributing nearly $3.4 billion, we turn what we know about cancer into what we do. As a result, more than 11 million people in America who have had cancer and countless more who have avoided it will be celebrating birthdays this year. To learn more about us or to get help, call us any time, day or night, at 1-800-227-2345 or visit cancer.org.