Especially for You® Race achieves record participation with 16,682 registrants!
A record-setting 16,682 people registered for the 35th annual Especially for You® Race Against Breast Cancer, which took place this morning at Mercy Medical Center. This year’s race narrowly exceeded the previous record of 16,679 participants in 2024.
Proceeds from race registrations benefit the Especially for You fund. This year more than $529,000 in registrations was raised for the fund, which provides financial assistance for breast and gynecological cancer screenings and services for area individuals in need. Since its inception, the Especially for You fund has helped more than 15,300 individuals with 44,000 services right here in Linn County.
General Mills and Mercy Medical Center are co-founders of the race, which includes a 5K run, 5K walk and a one-mile family fun walk. The course route took participants through downtown Cedar Rapids and finished at Mercy’s Hall-Perrine Cancer Center where participants enjoyed music, kids’ activities, food truck offerings, and a health fair.
The Especially for You Race has experienced tremendous growth since the first race in 1991, when 1,078 people participated. The race and Especially for You fund are dedicated to the memory of Sandy Knight, a Whittier resident and General Mills employee who died of breast cancer at an early age in July 1991. It was her wish to establish a fundraiser for breast cancer awareness and education.
2025 Race Details
-Total registrants: 16,682 (There were 16,679 in 2024.)
-Money raised for Especially for You: More than $529,000 in race registrations
-Total number of registered teams: 585
Top business teams with most members:
- Mercy Medical Center – 1,195
- OB-GYN Associates – 275
Top family teams with most members:
- Team Deb "Live Life Until the End" – 187
- Amber’s Army – 184
Fun Facts
- Race participants represented 514 cities and 41 states, as well as British Columbia and Guatemala
- Total number of cancer survivors registered for the race – 1,035, which represents 891 breast cancer and 144 other cancers.
- This year’s T-shirt was scuba blue. The color changes every year.
- Race results will be posted at www.especiallyforyourace.org later today.
