More than 300 participants, most of whom were students and employees from Maastricht University, ran a route of either five or ten kilometres through Maastricht. They had themselves sponsored for their efforts either individually or as a team. A striking highlight was a team from the Sittard handball association HV Sittardia, who only one month ago lost a 25-year-old fellow club member to cancer: they collected more than 10,000 euro.
The money earned from running will go to a number of research projects at MUMC+ supported by the cancer research fund Limburg (Kankeronderzoekfonds Limburg). The total amount is still expected to rise in the next few weeks: Students Fight Cancer crossed the city with collection boxes last week, and the proceeds from the sale of drinks and food after the sponsor run will also go to the charity. As some of this has not yet been included in the calculations, the board expects that the final amount will be at least 6,000 euro higher.
Students Fight Cancer has existed since 2019. The board of eight students, which changes every year, tries to attract attention and collect money for Maastricht cancer research through various actions and events. The first edition of Run to Fight Cancer took place last October, after the event had been cancelled a number of times due to COVID-19 measures. The students then collected more than 38,000 euro too. In addition, there were smaller actions, such as lectures, an online pub quiz, and the sale of personalised wine bottles. The initiative has by now been followed by others: in the coming academic year, a Students Fight Cancer will start in Nijmegen, to collect money for the Radboud Oncology Fund.