Students and running enthusiasts raise DKK 65,247 for the Knæk Cancer charity
This year, the Knæk Cancer Run brought together 493 runners for a good cause in the University Park. For volunteers Nicoline Veis Morsing and Mads Rahbæk, the event is both about having fun and supporting a greater cause.
Behind the yellow walls, at the heart of the University Park’s green rolling terrain, 493 runners have just completed a route of either 2.5 or 5 kilometres. Not just for fun – but also for a good cause. They have been part of Knæk Cancer Løbet, which is an annual event organised by the Oncology Society for Medical Students, and which transforms the University Park into a true running party. A running party that this year has raised an impressive DKK 65,247 for Knæk Cancer.
After the final runners have headed home, only Mads Rahbæk, Nicoline Veis Morsing and the other volunteers from the Oncology Society for Medical Students are left in the park. They have a lot of cleaning up to do, but it’s worth it.
“I help organise and hold the Beat Cancer Run because it's for a really good cause, but also because of the other volunteers. We are a really close community, and now I’ve been involved for three years, and I can see that the new volunteers are also keen to keep it going. This makes it all worthwhile,” says Nicoline Veis Morsing, before Mads Rahbæk, who is also the chair of Knæk Cancer Løbet, enthusiastically adds:
“It's a huge motivation when you start laying the foundations for the event in March, and you see that all the work you’ve put into it – all the mails you've sent, all the meetings you’ve attended – really pays off when so many people turn up and have such a great time.”
Much more than a running event
The Oncology Society for Medical Students was founded back in 2014 at a time when many new student associations were being formed. So it was important for the society to make its mark, and the members of the Oncology Society for Medical Students came up with a good idea.
“As an association, we needed to stand out, so we held Knæk Cancer Løbet for the first time in 2015. There were other similar running events in Aarhus at the time, but they were very commercial. Knæk Cancer Løbet was supposed to be an informal event where you could have a fun day on a student-friendly budget. And then the profits had to go to a good cause,” says PhD student and former chair of the running event, Anders Lerche Møller.
The event lasts four hours, and the run only lasts about an hour. So it's more than just a run.
This was the basic idea behind Knæk Cancer Løbet, and this year’s event proves that this vision is still going strong.
“The event lasts four hours, and the run only lasts about an hour. So it's more than just a run. It's all about creating a great atmosphere, which is why we have a joint warm-up and stations along the route, with volunteers ready to give the runners a little extra boost,” says Mads Rahbæk.
When the run is over, the good atmosphere continues with a live band from the medicine programme. There are also stalls with delicious cake made by a team of women who have been part of the run since it started.
Another highlight is the raffle, where runners can win prizes over and above what they can find in their goodie bags, all of which has been sponsored by various companies.
But it’s not only Mads, Nicoline and the other volunteers from the Oncology Society for Medical Students who help create a lively, informal atmosphere for the Beat Cancer Run – the other medical student associations also support the good cause.
“Members of our party committee, Umbilicus, always show up, even though they have been to a party the Friday before. Sometimes the medical revue also join in and run in their costumes,” says Nicoline Veis Morsing laughing.
Almost closed down by Covid
This year, 493 runners signed up for the event, and although this sounds like a lot, it’s still fewer than before Covid. Because when Covid-19 closed down Denmark, it also closed down Knæk Cancer Løbet. Nicoline Veis Morsing joined the run right after the pandemic, and she remembers that time as challenging.
“We were very surprised by how few people actually participated in the run after Covid. Before then, it had grown into a huge event. But, after Covid, many seemed to have forgotten that the run even existed,” she says.
It has taken a lot of work to get Knæk Cancer Løbet up and running again, but these efforts seem to be bearing fruit, because the number of participants has steadily increased since the pandemic. Not least because new volunteers are joining every year and want to carry the event forward.
For a good cause
One of the volunteers is the current chair of Knæk Cancer Løbet, Mads Rahbæk, who has a special, personal motivation to raise money for Knæk Cancer.
“As a child I had leukaemia, so I have always had a great interest in cancer and helped raise money for Knæk Cancer. It’s therefore only natural that I also help arrange Knæk Cancer Løbet,” he says.
Mads, Nicoline and the rest of the team behind Knæk Cancer Løbet have now finished cleaning up the University Park. The last stalls have been dismantled and the raffle has been packed up. Ready for next year, when they will be doing it all again. All for a good cause.