National Race for the Cure 5K web site.

White House photo by Tara Engberg, above: First Lady Laura Bush with her mother and breast cancer survivor Jenna Welch on June 1, 2001

Registration is now open for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation National Race For the Cure(R) on June 5th, 2004. Celebrating its 15th year, the Komen National Race for the Cure (R) continues to be an event for tens of thousands of breast cancer survivors and supporters to converge on the nation's capital in the fight against a disease that strikes more than 200,000 men and women every year.

To join the Komen National Race for the Cure(R), runners and walkers can register online, by mail, at one-stop registration sites and through late registration. Visit www.nationalraceforthecure.org for details. Entry forms are now available at several merchants in the greater Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. Registration sites throughout D.C., Maryland and Virginia will open in May 2004. A complete list of sites, including dates and times, is posted on the Web site.

On June 5th, an expected 60,000 runners and walkers will once again take to the streets to raise crucial funds for programs servicing the Washington, D.C., area. A minimum of $1 million of the funds raised through the Komen National Race will remain in Washington, D.C., community - including Virginia and Maryland - to fund outreach programs and initiatives that address the specific unmet breast health needs of the area. Washington, D.C., has the highest breast cancer mortality rate in the U.S. Registering for the Komen National Race offers residents a chance to make a direct impact on breast cancer research, education, screening and treatment in the community.

"Much of the funds raised from the Komen National Race for the Cure(R) go directly to local programs that serve the Washington, D.C., population," said Susan Braun, president and chief executive officer of the Komen Foundation. "We are determined to fund programs that address the needs of people facing the disease today, while searching for a cure for the future."

The remaining net proceeds support cutting-edge breast cancer research through the Komen Foundation Award and Research Grant Program, with a number of grantees in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C. In 2003, the program awarded more than $21.4 million in grants to support cutting-edge breast cancer research projects.

The 15th Anniversary brings the Komen National Race for the Cure(R) right back to where it started, on the National Mall in the shadows of the Capitol Dome. In proud bi-partisan tradition, President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush, and Vice President Dick Cheney and Mrs. Lynne Cheney will serve as Honorary Co-Chairs of the event. Over the past 15 years, leaders from both political parties have served as Honorary Chairs and have shown tremendous support in helping the Komen Foundation further its mission to eradicate breast cancer as a life- threatening disease by advancing research, education, screening and treatment.

White House photo by Paul Morse: President George W Bush and Laura Bush at the White House with breast cancer survivors, April 21, 2004

The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation was established more than 20 years ago by Nancy Brinker to honor the memory of her sister, Susan G. Komen, who died of breast cancer at the age of 36. Today, the Komen Foundation is an international, grassroots organization with more than 100 Affiliates in the United States, as well as in Germany, Italy and Puerto Rico. The Komen Foundation invests more than $96 million dollars annually to support its mission, primarily through its annual Komen Race for the Cure(R) Series, making it the nation's largest private funding source for breast cancer research, education, screening and treatment programs. The 2004 Komen National Race for the Cure(R), one of more than 100 Komen Race for the Cure(R) events nationwide, will take place on Saturday, June 5 in Washington, D.C.

The latest information on the 2004 Komen National Race for the Cure(R) can be found by calling (703) 848-8884 or visiting www.nationalraceforthecure.org. For information about breast health or breast cancer, visit the Komen Foundation's Web site, www.komen.org, or call its National Toll-Free Breast Care Helpline, 1.800 I'M AWARE(R) (1-800-462-9273).

History of the Washington, D.C. Event
Photo above by Drew Woodrich: Meghan McLaughlin of Vienna, VA placed third in the 2002 National Race for the Cure 5K with a time of 18:06

In 1990, former Carter White House Social Secretary Gretchen Poston joined forces with Marilyn Quayle and Washington Post fashion editor Nina Hyde to launch a Washington, DC area race to raise money for and awareness of breast cancer. They dreamed of a race that would draw thousands of participants and raise millions of dollars for breast cancer research, screening and education, but they could not have envisioned how quickly those goals would be achieved.

Poston, Quayle, Hyde and others who led the effort to organize the first Komen National Race for the Cure(R) were indeed pioneers who provided leadership to a movement.

Remarks by President George W Bush in 2001 at the White House
See the White House web site

Your great movement represents hope for cancer victims and hope for cancer's cures.

Less than 20 years ago, the first Komen Race for the Cure was held in Dallas, Texas. (Applause.) Eight hundred people participated in that race, and we raised $130,000.

Laura and I want to recognize those of you in the audience who have had breast cancer. We appreciate your courage. You've endured, and many of you are still undergoing, one of life's toughest and most terrifying struggles. In your suffering you have demonstrated dignity and determination, grit and grace, courage and character. And through your fight against cancer you have become witnesses to the power of hope.

Breast cancer, as you know, is the second most common type of cancer amongst women in the United States. Every three minutes brings a new case. Every 13 minutes brings another death from breast cancer. Yet, we also live in a profoundly hopeful time. Fewer women are dying of breast cancer each year. Awareness about breast cancer has never been greater. We've made progress in early detection and screening; we're seeing better and more effective treatment. New drugs offer exciting possibilities. And we are gathering a wealth of information about how cancer works at its most basic molecular level.

There are still many high medical hurdles that need to be cleared, and we have enough experience with cancer to know that we'll suffer some disappointments and setbacks along the way. But for the first time in human history, we can say with some measure of confidence that the war on cancer is winnable.

We must continue to raise awareness about the importance of early detection and increased access to screening services. We need to close the treatment gap between research discoveries and treatment options, so that cancer victims have access to the latest technology.

Every survivor of cancer is a defeat for cancer and a triumph for faith and courage and hope. We will not rest until our victory against breast cancer is complete.

White House photo by Paul Morse: President George W Bush greets breast cancer survivors in the East Room of the White House on April 21, 2004