Dana-Farber Returns This Year with a Goal of Raising $1 Million for Cancer Research and Care

FALMOUTH, Mass. — The ASICS Falmouth Road Race is proud to call Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Jimmy Fund the official Legacy Partner of the Falmouth Road Race charity program, the ASICS Falmouth Road Race Numbers for Nonprofits program. Thanks to their dedicated runners, Dana-Farber’s Falmouth Road Race team has raised more than $11.6 million since 2003, helping the Institute’s physicians and scientists get closer to a world without cancer.

Dana-Farber’s team captain, Kelly Yardley, works on the organization’s running initiatives – and each year the Dana-Farber team contributes nearly $1 million towards Dana-Farber’s annual fundraising. Last summer, Falmouth’s team of around 350 runners managed to raise an astounding $943,971.36 alone for the Cancer Institute.

“We are definitely hoping to surpass the million dollar mark this year,” says Yardley. “We were just shy of a million last year so that would be a huge milestone for us.” It’s looking promising – with registration open for only a few days, the team is already over 100 people-strong. 

The team’s numbers have only exploded over the decades, as Dana-Farber is now entering its 23rd year in the Numbers for Nonprofits program. “It’s really exciting to be such a prominent partner with a program we’ve had a presence in for a super long time,” says Yardley. “As a non-profit and a charity ourselves it’s nice to have a leading presence in the charity program. We love welcoming runners to run for us, especially if they have a connection to Dana-Farber’s mission.”

Dana-Farber’s mission is one that can motivate runners from all different backgrounds to unite under the same cause. Yardley explains that the majority of their runners are people who have been personally impacted by cancer, or people who are honoring a friend or family member who went through the treatment or passed to the disease. 

The organization’s mission calls to not only people personally impacted by the disease, but also those in the research or oncology field who have witnessed first-hand the wonders the science can achieve. Many others also use it as an opportunity to run the ASICS Falmouth Road Race while being a part of a team that is making real change in the world. “While everyone’s motivations for running are different,” describes Yardley. “they all feel a strong attachment to the mission.”

No matter the background, all 350 runners fundraising under Dana-Farber’s team can feel a strong sense of pride in where their funds are going. “Dana-Farber follows a unique model where 50% of our efforts are devoted to research and the other 50% is devoted to patient care. It’s very special that  groundbreaking research and compassionate patient care is all happening in the same facility.” 

Dana-Farber was founded in 1947, decades before the Falmouth Road Race existed, and their approach has continued to give patients access to great talent and research breakthroughs that are all happening in the next room over. Their unique all-in-one campus sets them apart as a truly innovative cancer research hospital.

Since their past two decades with the Falmouth Road Race, Dana-Farber has had teams come back year after year to raise funds in support of maintaining their research and patient care. “We have one team, mostly made up of 99 Restaurant employees,  that has been running with us for 20 years,” shares Yardley. “It’s part of the company’s culture to do this event every year and give back to Dana-Farber, and their longevity is very inspiring to me.”

Countless stories behind people running have touched Yardley in her six years of working for the team. “Especially with people who have started running for the team in honor of someone and in the course of coming back year after year that person has passed away from cancer,” says Yardley. “It’s heart-wrenching to see someone go through that cycle of running in honor of and then running in memory of someone and still coming back year after year – so those stories have always stuck with me.”

The people who come back year after year often run under sub-teams. There’s the option to register as an individual runner or to be a part of one of the 25-30 sub-teams, which can range anywhere from a 2-person team to a 95-person team. Last year, there was a spectacular 90-person team named “Adelia the Wonder Girl” running in memory of the team captain’s daughter who had passed away from a brain tumor at only 8 years old. “The whole community rallied around her and wanted to join the team,” and they managed to raise more than $280,000 for cancer research. This summer will mark the return for their third Falmouth Road Race.

The race day itself is extra uplifting for non-profit runners. “We give them a Dana-Farber race singlet and a hat and they love sporting that and hearing people on the sidelines say, ‘Go Dana-Farber!’ or ‘You saved my life!’ ” describes Yardley. “They find it really inspiring that just from the name on their jerseys people will be super supportive in the crowds.”

For anyone considering joining the Dana-Farber team this year, team captain Kelly Yardley would welcome them to reach out to her. “We really like to take care of our runners – we have a lot of fundraising resources and team resources so it’s a great way to get involved and give back,” encourages Yardley. “It can be a way to process, grieve, or celebrate anything they are going through.” 

No matter what they’re going through, it is certain that all those running for the team this year will feel the unending support and pride that comes from sporting a Dana-Farber singlet on race day. They will not only be crossing their own personal finish line, but bringing Dana-Farber one step closer to crossing the ultimate finish line: a world without cancer.