The DONNA Foundation Honors Breast Cancer Awareness Month with 5K Race and Announces Updates for DONNA Marathon Weekend 2024

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — September 25, 2023 — The DONNA Foundation will kick off Breast Cancer Awareness Month this October with the organization’s annual The DONNA 5K at TPC Sawgrass on October 7, 2023. Celebrating its 16th running of the event, The DONNA 5K at TPC Sawgrass serves as the final race in the DONNA 2023 Fearless Series.

The 5K event will take place on the “back nine” of THE PLAYERS Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass, a beautiful stretch of the championship golf course property. As part of its philanthropic efforts, THE PLAYERS Championship has issued a $5,000 matching gift challenge for fundraisers who have now surpassed the $20,000 fundraising goal.

“We are honored to partner with The DONNA Foundation and accelerate the impact it makes on a daily basis, here in Northeast Florida and beyond,” said Emily Bellock, Senior Director Community Outreach for THE PLAYERS. “The organization’s desire to see a world without breast cancer is one we share, and we are glad to stand beside them to help make as big of a difference as possible.”

“We look forward to our 5K through beautiful TPC Sawgrass every year, and we know our runners, survivors and friends across the breast cancer community do as well,” said Amanda Napolitano, Executive Director of The DONNA Foundation. “The 16th running of this event is one of the many ways we will continue to honor Breast Cancer Awareness Month and engage the community –– knowing that we are running toward the finish line of breast cancer each time we lace up for a race. We look forward to celebrating our survivors, those still in treatment, and the families and friends who support them: this month and always, just as we have since The DONNA Foundation was founded 20 years ago.”

In alignment with Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the Foundation also announces the following updates:

On October 1, The DONNA Foundation will launch the second annual DONNA 110 Mile-a-Day Challenge, an initiative that encourages Northeast Florida residents to get moving to promote health and wellness throughout the region. The objective of the challenge is to accumulate 110 miles on or before DONNA Marathon Weekend (February 2-4, 2024) by walking or running one mile per day or at the participant’s preferred pace. Studies have shown that exercise can ease treatment-related adverse side effects and reduce cancer-specific and overall mortality in breast cancer by up to 50%. In the inaugural challenge last year, participants collectively walked or ran 20,118 miles, surpassing the goal set by the Foundation of 20,000.

The DONNA Half Marathon Training will kick off on Saturday, October 28 with the Jacksonville Galloway Training Program at 1st Place Sports Baymeadows. The free kickoff event will take place at 7 a.m. for a three-mile run/walk.

The DONNA Foundation has renewed a strategic partnership with the Jacksonville Jaguars in alignment with Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Through this partnership, several activities for the 2024 DONNA Marathon Weekend will return to EverBank Stadium — including the expo, 5K and DONNA Dash.

Registration for The DONNA 5K at TPC Sawgrass, the 110-Mile-A-Day Challenge and the 2024 DONNA Marathon Weekend races are now open at thedonnafoundation.org/events/.

The DONNA Foundation was established in June of 2003 by three-time breast cancer survivor and award-winning journalist Donna Deegan to meet the critical financial needs of the underserved living with breast cancer. Our mission is to provide financial assistance and support to individuals living with breast cancer and fund groundbreaking breast cancer research. To date, The DONNA Foundation has served more than 19,000 families, securing more than $500,000 in financial services and debt relief each year. The organization has also disbursed $3.3 million in support of translational genomics and immune studies. The organization operates in-person and virtual events supporting the Survivorship, Education and Awareness Program. For more information, visit www.TheDONNAFoundation.org.