It was a walk in the park to raise a whopping £99,300 for Cancer Research UK at Sunday’s Race for Life in Stevenage.

The Comet: The start line at Sunday's Race for Life in Stevenage. Picture: Annie Ashwell.The start line at Sunday's Race for Life in Stevenage. Picture: Annie Ashwell. (Image: Archant)

The annual fundraiser in Fairlands Valley Park was open to men for the first time this year and saw 1,579 people take part in either the 5k or 10k course.

John Darin, presenter on Hertfordshire radio station Heart, hosted the event and got the crowd off to a rousing start by playing the inspiring track This is Me from the blockbuster movie The Greatest Showman.

Participants pinned heartfelt messages and tributes to loved ones to their pink Race for Life t-shirts. One read: "I fought and won! Supporting the fighters, admiring the survivors, honouring the taken, and never every giving up hope."

Annie Ashwell, Cancer Research UK's Hertfordshire events manager, said: "It was a truly inspiring day seeing the renowned 'sea of pink' in Stevenage taking on the 5k or 10k Race for Life.

The Comet: Some of the Race for Life team who make the event possible. Picture: Annie Ashwell.Some of the Race for Life team who make the event possible. Picture: Annie Ashwell. (Image: Archant)

"We had a huge range of women, men and children who ran, jogged, walked, skipped, danced and even tapped their way around the course!

"By taking part in Race for Life and raising money, these participants will play a crucial role in helping to turn discoveries made in the lab into new, better treatments for patients across Hertfordshire and throughout the UK. That's why every person and every penny raised counts."

Stevenage's Race for Life has been running for 13 years with the support of Fairlands Valley Spartans running club, which originally designed the course and heavily supports on the day with volunteers.

According to Cancer Research UK, one in two people in the UK will be diagnosed with cancer at some stage in their lives, but more people are surviving the disease now than ever before.

The Comet: Stevenage Army Cadets, who have supported the event for many years. Picture: Annie Ashwell.Stevenage Army Cadets, who have supported the event for many years. Picture: Annie Ashwell. (Image: Archant)

Cancer survival rates in the UK have doubled since the early 1970s and Cancer Research UK's work has been at the heart of that progress.

If you would still like to take part in Race for Life this year, you can still register for the next event, which is at Verulamium Park in St Albans on Sunday, July 21.

To enter, visit raceforlife.org or call 0300 123 0770. Both the 5k and 10k events start at 11am and are £14.99 for adults to enter, £10 for children and free for children under six.