This year would have been its 30th anniversary, but Canada’s largest 24-hour cancer relay is no more.
The Canadian Cancer Society has pulled the plug on Prince George’s relay for life, citing issues finding volunteers and dwindling participation over the pandemic years as the primary reasons.
“Every year we review how we allocate our resources to operate our event and our programs,” said Alison Payne, the Canadian Cancer Society’s Manager of Signature Programs and Special Events.
“As we returned to in person… we have had a hard time with volunteer recruitment in our communities.”
She said Prince George was not able to get a full committee together to plan the event.
“We had to make sure we were putting our resources towards events that had full committees. It was a difficult decision and not one that was done lightly.”
Prince George is not alone, 14 of the 52 total relays across Canada are being shut down.
Payne added that the Cancer Society currently “[does] not have plans of bringing it back.”
Since 1993 the relay saw thousands of people walking laps around Masich Place Stadium, and more recently Exhibition Park.
In 2017, the event raised over half a million dollars and was crowned the country’s top relay for the fourth consecutive year.
In its place, Payne said Relay Your Way, the alternative way to participate that was introduced as a pandemic measure, will be an option.
“Communities can still do a relay however they want,” she said, “there is still the opportunity for people to participate in the event, it just won’t be a volunteer and committee led event.”
Registration for Relay Your Way opens on Monday (February 13).