Rain didn't stop 32,000 people from coming out to support breast cancer awareness on Mother's Day.
Last Sunday, crowds of people lined up alongside the Benjamin Franklin Parkway to participate in the twelfth annual Susan G. Komen Philadelphia Race for the Cure.
Participants ran five kilometers around Fairmont Park to raise money for breast cancer research, education, screening and treatment.
Coming in with a time of 18:25, Jennifer Flint was the female winner, while Ross Martinson took first place out of the male participants with a time of 15:23.
Whether personally affected by the disease or not, the race attracted a diverse turnout --from women who had successfully combatted breast cancer to those who ran in memory of loved ones lost to the disease.
Additionally, many participants -- including a Philadelphia resident and breast cancer survivor named Ramona -- were inspired to run in order to support breast cancer research and education.
"This Race inspires women who have breast cancer. It lets me know that I'm not alone," she said. "There's a lot of knowledge and valuable information given out here that is not available anywhere else."
For some mothers, The Race for the Cure was an opportunity for them to bond with their daughters.
"It's a beautiful idea to have it on Mother's Day... just to be able to do something in support of a disease that affects so many women [is important], but to be here with my daughter is extremely special," Rona, another Philadelphia resident, said.
On the other hand, Anita Paoli attended the race to honor her mother's struggle -- and ultimate recovery -- from breast cancer.
"In the seven years my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, she was successfully treated," Paoli said.
Most of the money raised by the race will support breast cancer research in the Delaware valley, although some of it will be used to support cancer research nationwide.
Although the funds have not been totalled yet for this year, executive director of the Philadelphia Affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation Elaine Grobman said she hoped that this year's profit exceeded the $2.4 million raised last year.
"We always like to raise more money [than the previous year], but... it just depends on the generosity of the donors," Grobman said.
When the race was over prizes were awarded to an organization, company and individual that had collected the largest number of participants.
Merck Company won the "Participation Challenge" award since they had 350 participants and the breast cancer organization, Living Beyond Breast Cancer won the "Community Award" for having 221 registered participants.
In addition, there were two raffle winners. One received a 2002 Ford Escape and the other won a trip to the Caribbean.
