Lace up the sneakers and get ready to race in 3, 2, 1 … Let’s go!
The 19th annual Run for Life (Corri La Vita) event–dedicated to breast cancer research and prevention–will kick off Sept. 26. This year, the initiative goes beyond Florence to all of Tuscany, featuring 120 cultural destinations and several sporting activities.
Like last year, the “Tuscany Special Edition” will not include the traditional city race. Instead, marking the official start of the 2021 Run for Life will be a warm-up, coordinated with live-streamed teachers of the Wellness Firenze Marathon gym. The rest of the day will be filled with outside sports, activities and places of culture.
Those wearing the official “Corri la Vita 2021” t-shirt on Sept. 26 (here’s where and how to buy the t-shirt) will have free access to Tuscan museums, castles, historic buildings, archeological sites and wine cellars with cultural and architectural significance. Among the sites that can be visited are (in Florence), the Società Canottieri Firenze boat club, the Gucci Garden, the Ferragamo museum, the church and museum of Santa Maria Novella, and (in Tuscany), the Medici villa at Poggio a Caiano, Leonardo’s birthplace in the town of Vinci, the Pinocchio Park and the Gori sculpture garden in Celle (both in the province of Pistoia), the Luzzetti Antiques Museum located in Grosseto’s “Polo Culturale Clarisse,” the Giovanni Fattori Tuscan Impressionism art museum in Livorno in addition to the medieval Brolio Castle, also home to a famous winery, in Gaiole in Chianti (pictured). For a full list of locations and booking information, click here.
Even though Run for Life abated the start and finish line, the race for breast cancer continues. In 2020, the World Health Organization reported 2.3 million new cases diagnosed. Every year, more women join the numbers suffering from their gender’s most common diagnosed cancer. For this reason, Run for Life annually dedicates its fundraising efforts to help women through breast cancer prevention, treatment and psychological support. Since its founding in 2003 by President Bona Frescobaldi, the initiative has collected over 6,600,000 euros, united about 392,000 participants and assisted almost 500,000 women affected by breast cancer.
Proceeds from this year’s initiative will be donated to a Ce.Ri.On, a rehabilitation center at Ville Le Rose; SenoNetwork, a group which unites all the Italian Breast Units; and the File Fondazione Italiana di Leniterapia, an organization that provides home and hospice care to the terminally ill.
This year’s race against breast cancer officially began when the “Corri la Vita 2021” t-shirts become available to supporters. Honoring this year’s theme “Tuscany Special Edition,” the shirts are “Tuscan Red.” Additionally, 30,000 t-shirts will be signed by Salvatore Ferragamo, an Italian fashion designer and supporter of the initiative. For complete information on the event, visit the Corri la Vita website.
All participants are invited to share photos and stories on social media using the official hashtags #corrilavita2021 and #clv2021 or tagging @corrilavita. (rachel pellegrino/additional reporting by rosanna cirigliano)
