Solutions from Ukraine: Ukraine holds world's first underground Race for the Cure to support women with breast cancer
Due to security risks, organizers relocated the Kyiv portion of the event to an underground parking structure equipped as a bomb shelter at the Blockbuster Mall, making it the first Race for the Cure in the world held in a shelter. Despite the altered format, hundreds of participants joined offline in Kyiv and Lviv.
The event brought together over 580 participants who logged more than 2,6 million steps. Participants have raised 514,296 hryvnias to fund psychological support groups for women facing breast cancer, with fundraising remaining open through the end of October.
Photo source: Event organizersOrganizing a run in an underground parking lot posed a unique technical challenge, requiring race officials to map a track, ensure adequate lighting and ventilation, and strictly adhere to safety standards.
Prominent Ukrainian athletes and public figures joined the Kyiv run, including Olympic silver medalist in athletics Iryna Lishchynska, Olympic high jump bronze medalist Iryna Herashchenko, 1+1 TV presenter Marichka Padalko, and Ukrainian athletics champion and veteran rehabilitation advocate Orysia Demianiuk.
This year, participant safety was an absolute priority: the organizers did not call on people to come specifically to the location and announced the possibility to run online—but even those who could have limited themselves to the online format still arrived.
Photo source: Event organizers
Background
Race for the Cure is a global charity event where participants in over 30 countries walk and run to show solidarity with women facing breast cancer.
The Inspiration Family Charitable Foundation organizes the event in Ukraine, providing daily support and psychological care groups for women undergoing cancer treatment or living in remission.
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2 of October 2026
