Walk Around the World for Brain Tumours
(1 Jan to 7 Nov 2009)
and the
International Brain Tumour Awareness Week
(1 to 7 Nov 2009)

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2009 Completed Events


Please let us know the details of your event/s as soon as possible so we can include them on this webpage and help you spread the word about them.  We want to make the 2009 Walk Around the World for Brain Tumours and the International Brain Tumour Awareness Week the best yet!

Organisations wishing to be listed as supporters of the IBTA's 2009 World Walk  (1 January 2009- 7 November 2009) and the International Brain Tumour Awareness Week (1 November 2009 - 7 November 2009) should contact chair@theibta.org or kathy@theibta.org

Please note: for your organisation or group to be a "supporter" of the Week and Walk, the IBTA requires no financial commitment or fee to be paid to us by you.  All we are asking for is your enthusiasm in supporting and promoting these events and for allowing us to add your name to our list of supporters. For a list of our 2008 supporters, see our home page http://www.theibta.org/www.theibta.org   Thank you.  


Levis' Star Newmillerdam Walk: One hundred people took part in a sponsored walk around Newmillerdam (UK) in March and raised funds for Levi's Star, a brain tumour charity established by Levis' mum Vicky Ringer and grandmother Val Ringer, in honour of six year old Levi Ringer who died in August 2006. The walk was about three miles around the dam and resulted in a contribution of 300 miles to the 2009 Walk Around the World target and thousands of pounds in donations to the charity.
On 7 March the Students Supporting Brain Tumor Research (SSBTR) held their 8th Annual Walk-a-thon at Pinnacle High School and on 28 February 500 people took part in the inaugural SSBTR Tucson walk at the University of Arizona Mall. There were 3,500 walkers each walking 5 miles. In April this year they donated $202,000 for brain tumor research and support which brings the total to more than $1m US in total funds raised.

Dianne E. Freed of the Kelly Heinz-Grundner Brain Tumor Foundation in the USA reported that 2,800 walkers each walked two miles on 2 May in the  2nd Annual "Get Your Head In The Game" Brain Tumor Awareness Walk, held at Dravo Plaza at Riverfront Wilmington. The combined total of 5,600 miles has been donated to the World Walk target. A total of $197,417 was raised by the walkers.
Cindy M Rosser of the Michael Quinlan Brain Tumor Foundation wrote us: “I am happy to report that we had a beautiful walk day! A very pleasant sunny 70-degree day. We had 450 walkers on the waterfront that walked 2.5 miles each for a total of 1,125 miles. We are happy to contribute the mileage to IBTA's Walk Around the World”.
Sue Evans reports that in the Walk the Vale Event (UK) 2526 miles were walked on Easter Monday as part of the International Brain Tumour Alliance's 2009 challenge to "walk the world for brain tumours". The event was part of Brain Tumour UK's campaign to raise awareness in the disease which affects the lives of many people each year.
Supporters of the ACT (Australia) Race and Fitness Walking Club donated 100 kms to the World Walk total from the Peter Waddell memorial walk held on Saturday 6 June. The event is part of a weekend of racewalking when enthusiasts from around Australia visit Canberra for a major carnival. The family of IBTA Chair Denis Strangman, has been involved with the event for more than 20 years and Denis coordinates the 28 official judges.


Participants in the 5 kms Peter Waddell memorial fitness walk


IBTA Chair Denis Strangman is his role as the coordinator  of racewalk judges for an Australian carnival.
The Souls and Shadows Foundation supports charities which enhance the lives of the terminally ill through the use of music therapy.  The foundation was set up in memory of Caspar Barlow-Olsen who died of a glioblastoma multiforme on 23rd December 2006.  Paul Barlow, the Souls and Shadows Foundation Secretary/Treasurer and four friends recently walked a portion of the Camino de Santiago.   They started at St Jean Pied de Port in France and crossed the Pyrennes through Pamplona to Los Arcos. Paul said: "This year we continued from Los Arcos reaching Villabilla de Burgos and walking 157 Kms in a week.  As you probably know the Camino (all 778 kms) has been a Pilgrimage Way since the Middle Ages the objective being the tomb of St James the Apostle in Santiago de Compostela - it is really well waymarked and you hardly ever need a map...it is still more than a walk because of the many interesting characters you meet along the way...Last year we met a young woman who had already walked 1600Kms starting in Switzerland and still had 700 to go - another women from Italy was doing it because she had miraculously been saved after being given a terminal prognosis by her doctors. It really is quite inspiring. Next year we are thinking of getting sponsored to raise money for 'Souls and Shadows' when the target is to walk 174.5 kms to Leon.
 
Souls and Shadows has donated their 785 kms to the Walk Around the World for Brain Tumours in memory of Caspar Barlow-Olsen. For further information about this organisation, please see their website at http://soulsandshadowsfoundation.org/default.aspx
Paul Barlow (left) and his friend Louis Pelosi at a high point above the village of Villafrance on the Camino de Santiago.

Paul also added: "This year we have also all walked from Frimley Green in Surrey to Charlton-on-Otmoor in Oxfordshire on our 'Home to Home' travels -that was 68.25 miles or 109.25 Kms which for the five of us totals 546.25 Kms."

Andrina Scwartz, Special Events Officer at the National Brain Tumour Society reports that the Bay Area Brain Tumor Walk had 2,000 participants, the Race For Hope event in DC had 10,000 participants, and the Denver Brain Tumor Walk had 1,000 particpants, all covering a distance of 5 kms, making a grand contribution of 65,000 kms towards our target of 5 times around the world at the equator (5 x 40,000 kms = 200,000 kms). Well one!
The 11th Annual Vernon Hills (Illinois, USA) Walk for Brain Tumor Research took place on 9 May and was another big success. There were 500 people who each walked 2 miles, making a contribution of 1,000 miles to the World Walk target.

Peter Bennett, President of the Queensland (Australia) Racewalking Club, has donated to the World Walk target the distance he covered (213.855 kms) in a 24-hour international racewalking event in Rouen, France, which he won, and the 186.533 kms he walked in the Sri Chinmoy 24 hour track championships in Brisbane. Well done Peter! In racewalking circles Peter is known as a "Centurion", a person who has walked 100 miles in under 24 hours. It was good of him to associate these endurance events with the brain tumour cause.

Tim Erickson, Secretary of the Victorian Race Walking Club, advises that members of his club raised $600 for the Royal Melbourne Hospital Neuroscience Foundation at the annual Australian Postal Challenge event on 11 July and the 72 club members contributed a total of 372 kms to the World Walk target. Well done! Reproduced below is a photo of competitors in the under 12 years event. Tim says that the wind on the day was "gale force" and cold.

Kim Lachut of the UConn walk (USA) advises that 200 walkers covered a two mile course for a contribution of 400 miles towards the World Walk target, and raised $14,000 for the ABTA.

Michelle Latvis from Bryon's First Annual 3.3 mile Run/Walk/Stroll in Bristol, Connecticut (USA) writes that the event was a great success with 133 participants completing 3.3 miles each for a grand total of 402.6 miles. Why 3.3 miles?  Because little Bryon Schiffres is three years old and the event was in his honour. Bryon was diagnosed with a brain tumour in January 2009. 

Grandpa S., Bryon in the stroller, Dad (Rich), Mom (Linda) and Mango (the Poodle Dog)

Elizabeth Becket in Toronto reports that Meagan's Walk 2009 on Mother's Day was wonderful and despite chilly weather, exceeded last year's numbers of participants.  It was a very spirited crowd, which wrapped a gigantic "hug" around the hospital as they encircled it.  Over 70 teams of 3000 people participated this year.  Meagan's Walk 2009 has donated an amazing 15,000 Km to the Walk Around the World for Brain Tumours. Here are two examples of the many teams who took part.


Erika Hauschildt advises that 644 participants each walked 2 miles on 16 May in Minnesota for a total of 1288 miles towards the World Walk target as part of the 1st umbrELLA of hope Family Fun Walk in honour of Ella Hope Hauschildt. All proceeds went to the Just One More Day brain tumour organisation.

William Cruz Abbott from the Philippines is a gymistocytic astrocytoma grade 2 brain tumor survivor. Recently he climbed Mt. Pulag  in Benguet, which is the the 2nd highest mountain in the Philippines (9,586 feet above sea level) with the assistance of his neurosurgeon and a lot of friends. Will's was the first case of awake craniotomy at The Medical City (TMC) in Pasig City Metro Manila. You can see a programme about Will on You Tube here:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhohSz4rNhE 

Will, his neurosurgeon and friends are donating 249 kilometres to the Walk Around the World for Brain Tumours.  What's more, Will is a brand new grandfather and is about to celebrate his 50th birthday - two milestone events in the life of this amazing patient who plans to climb Mt Apo, the highest mountain in the Philippines, next year.  Will is also involved in a project which will benefit neuro-patients called the "Garden of Hope" ("Hardin ng Pag-asa").  See this webpage for the background to this inspiring project:  http://wilsumati.multiply.com/photos/album/7#

At the top
Before the climb

Charles and Olga wrote to the IBTA that 42 walkers (40 Adults, 2 Children plus 5 dogs) completed their walk around the 13 mile route at Lake Vyrnwy (UK) on 6 June 2009, contributing a total of  546 miles to the IBTA walk around the world for 2009. “Our walk this year was especially challenging for everyone because from start to finish it constantly poured with heavy rain, this accompanied by a cold wind soaked everyone to the skin. However, every single walker completed the course and we are so proud of their efforts on the day which has raised over 5000 GBP for Brain Tumour Research,” they wrote.

On 6 June Tony J McEachern, who is a six-year AA3 survivor, completed his "Walk of Life" and has donated the 803 miles he covered to the World Walk target. The route was from Duke University in N.C. to his home in Sarasota, Florida. Tony spent two years training for this walk during which he covered another 1000 miles. He has a very interactive website and photos here. That is a tremedous effort for one individual!


Karen Clarke told the IBTA that she and a friend completed a 43 mile walk as part of a group of eleven in the UK area of Weymouth and has donated that distance towards the World Walk target. Karen’s organisation the Christopher Clarke Cancer Research Foundation (CCCRF) is one of the supporting organisations for the World Walk. Here is what Karen told us: “The scenery was absolutely breathtaking 11 of us started our walk from Weymouth and completed our stretch 43 miles later. We were very lucky with the weather and only had rain on our last day as we were walking along the home stretch by the naturist beach, where there was one brave person to greet us! We completed the walk with cream teas - delicious the only way to finish!” The cream tea finish sounds appetising.

Yuko Moue from the Pediatric Brain Tumour Network in JAPAN writes: “We are pleased to send our photos for Walk Around The World for Brain Tumours from JAPAN. Members of Pediatric Brain Tumour Network in Japan walked for brain tumours when we attend the party which was held to support pediatric cancer patients and families in YOKOHAMA. We, parents and children, talked about patients of brain tumours of all over the world and prayed for perfect cures for all the patients. PBTN are going to hold a conference in October to discuss about key hospitals in Japan where we can get accurate and prompt diagnoses of pediatric brain tumours with doctors, senators and government officials. Dr. SAWAMURA will give us the lecture at the conference.  The PBTN’s logo which we hold means to help each others to get back our smile! Thank you and take care.”

That is a very relevant and clever logo and the concept might be worth copying elsewhere.
Please click here to go to a webpage reporting further completed events for 2009.






Notes: The intention of the founding meeting was that we seek to represent all tumours of the central nervous system. As is the practice in the scientific literature and clinical use, we use the words "brain tumour", not "brain cancer".

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