POOLE Park was transformed into a sea of pink during the Cancer Research UK Race for Life charity run yesterday.

Around 1,300 women tackled the 5km course - with runners aged 13 and upwards.

Event organiser Sam Beare told the Echo she was delighted with the turnout, especially as 3,000 women took part in the 5km muddy run the previous day.

Runner Es Lobett, who was running with two friends, Julie and Amanda, who had both recently lost their mother's to cancer, said: "They are both my best friends, I think this event is great because it raises awareness of cancer.

"The illness affects everybody, it is devastating. It is not just the person who gets the illness that suffers, it is their friends and family and everyone who supports them as well."

Karen Stark, who was running with her daughter Emily, said: "My brother has just recovered from Lymphoma, so that is one of the main reasons I'm taking part.

"I think cancer affects so many people, so anything you can do is really worth it."

Meanwhile, fifteen women from Tesco supermarket in Weymouth, also set off on the run.

Employee Pat Bates explained: "It has been 15 years since Tesco has been involved in Cancer Research and Race for Life, so we decided we'd have 15 of us coming along today.

"Hopefully we are all going to get around within one hour. We all have personal reasons why we are here as well.

Co-worker Genna Hayes said: "My nan got diagnosed twice with cancer, she fought it twice but unfortunately the third time she wasn't as lucky.

"We've been doing raffles in store all week, today is about doing as much as we can."

Some participants had decided nothing was going to get in their way. Participant Sylvia Kimbrey took the start line in a wheelchair. She explained: "I was going to walk it, but I've broken my toe. I've done it for 12 years and I wanted to come, so we've borrowed a wheelchair.

"I had cancer 12 years ago, and I've done the Race for Life ever since. I lost my husband recently, so this event is a huge thing in our family."

According to statistics someone is diagnosed with cancer every two minutes someone in the UK A Cancer Research UK spokesman explained: "We are world leaders in finding new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer.

"We want to create more tomorrows for more people which is why we’re determined to beat cancer sooner."

The registered charity receives no government funding for its research.

"Our life-saving work relies on the money raised through sponsorship," said the spokesman. "It is from the support through events like Race for Life that helps us continue our groundbreaking work and help more people survive cancer."