NEW BRITAIN -- Green Walnut Hill Park, coated with pink ribbons, even tutus for dogs. It's a traditional race that raises money to fight breast cancer, a day before Mother's Day.
"It's a place where all of us survivors can hug each other and give each other support and hope," said survivor, Marsha Goldstein.
People run, walk and donate. 100 percent of the funds go towards finding a cure in Connecticut.
Goldstein added, "Perhaps we will be the ones in Connecticut with all our amazing researchers, we'll find that one piece of the puzzle to help find a cure."
"Every day they're making great strides in cancer research. Way back when, if you were diagnosed with breast cancer, it wasn't a good thing for you but now we've got drugs that are giving these patients hope and giving them survival and they're working," said Oncology Nurse Patti Szabo of Cancer Center of Central Connecticut.
That's exactly what Judy Spreda said, a survivor, who attended the event with her sister who is also a survivor.
"The technology they have today versus when she was diagnosed is just amazing," said Spreda.
The women encouraged each other by putting ribbons on a tree.
"We're putting our names and how many years we've been a survivor on the ribbons and then we have a ribbon tree. If someone has two ribbons on their hat and they see me with 24 ribbons you can't help but say wow I hope someday I'll be standing in your shoes," said Goldstei.
And then it was off to the races.
"I will never be the person I was the day before my diagnosis. I'm better," said Spreda.