For the seventh year in a row, New Balance will be one of the corporate sponsors of Race for the Cure, a benefit for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. The Susan G. Komen Foundation was established in 1982 by Nancy Brinker in honor of her late sister, who succumbed to breast cancer at age 36. It is one of the United States' largest private funders of research dedicated to breast cancer.

Breast cancer is the leading cause of death among women aged 35 to 54. Eighty percent of women diagnosed with breast cancer have no known risk factors. The most important thing you can do to protect yourself and your loved ones from breast cancer is to perform breast self exams and to receive regular mammograms. When the disease is confined to the breast, meaning that it has been detected early, the survival rate is 97%. Every 12 minutes, every day, a woman in America dies of breast cancer. Twenty-five percent of women and thirty percent of men diagnosed will die of this terrible disease. The mortality rate from breast cancer is higher for African-American women than it is for Caucasian, Asian-American or Hispanic women While we tend to think of breast cancer as a disease of older women, 20% of those diagnosed with the disease are under the age of fifty.

New Balance is fighting for women's lives in a number of ways:

• We sponsor breast cancer awareness programs year round.
• We offer a special line of both apparel and shoes with pink ribbons embroidered on them.
• We sponsor Team New Balance. This courageous team of runners and walker is made up of breast cancer survivors and is led by the National Honorary Chair of Race for the Cure, five time Olympian Francine Larrieu Smith.

We can't think of a better way to covey the importance of Race for the Cure than the following message that was posted on the official Race for the Cure website.

I am 31 and a survivor of just over a year. I was diagnosed with Stage 1 breast cancer during the 7th month of my pregnancy and feel blessed that my baby, husband, and I survived all of the challenges that cancer and new parenthood simultaneously brought into our lives. However, it has not been any easy journey. I am undergoing the reconstructive process currently and am being transformed in ways that go way beyond physical appearance. I am anxiously training for THE RACE in Mpls; appropriately enough to be held on Mother's Day. It will be my first of many and symbolizes strength, endurance, hope, and health. As I run on my treadmill, I visualize the finish line and my husband and son waiting to greet me and it brings tears to my eyes every time. A mother just can't ask for anything better. I run for me so I can run with him.

Join Team New Balance in the largest 5K run/walk in the world, and ... Race for the Cure in your city.