Paceline, the local nonprofit dedicated to supporting cancer research, launches Pace Day its annual, signature fundraising event on Sunday. Saturday morning, the organization hosted its Packet Pick-Up event at the M. Bert Storey Research Building of the Georgia Center, where registered participants could receive bags of items for their 5k run the following morning, such as water bottles, T-shirts and event sunscreen from the cancer center.
Paceline is coming on its seventh year in operation, but because of cancellations due to Covid, in 2020, and Hurricane Helene last year, this will mark the fifth annual Pace Day, which launched in 2019.
The PaceDay 2025 event will represent a fierce return to form, with as many as 800 participants expected, a total of more than 1,000 when volunteers are included, says Paceline president Martyn Turner.
Part of this increase can be attributed to the addition of the 5K Walk Run. The event normally entails a set of bicycling courses, including a six-miler throughout downtown. Now walkers and runners can join in alongside cyclists by setting off on a five-kilometer route from the Georgia Cancer Center, along the River Walk and ending at the Augusta Common.
“The last time we did it was 2023 so we thought, ‘let’s make this bigger and better and more appealing, more accessible to everyone, more than we’ve ever done before,’ ” said Turner about the introduction of the walk and run. “We previously asked our participants whether they’ll be interested in that. And they answered yes.”
This year’s PaceDay is set to be the biggest “by far,” Turner said, with the Walk Run expansion yielding broader participation across more demographics, particularly among youth, with Augusta Boxing Club and Greenbrier, Lakeside and Evans High Schools being represented.
“If we say our mission is bringing community and organizations together to end cancer, then we endeavor to be as true to that mission as we can. That means everyone in the community,” said Turner. “About 15% of our entire participant audience tomorrow is represented by youth.”
Desiree Johnson, who rides with Team Yes We Can, affiliated through Chosen church in Grovetown, began riding in PaceDay four years ago in honor of her father, who had recently passed away due to cancer. Knowing the funds raised are kept in Augusta, and also contribute toward cancer research, are key motivators for her joining in, she says.
“I can see where my money’s going, right? I see us as a community, coming together, and the fitness part,” said Johnson, who rode 25 miles in the last Pace Day, and will be riding six miles this year. “Throughout the year we ride we ride together, we ride individually, we have our group where we meet and go out and communicate with other people, other groups, and it just keeps up that camaraderie.”
Nearly $2 million worth of Paceline’s grants have funded 33 local cancer research projects since the organization started, which has led to roughly $12 million in grants for research from the National Institute of Health.
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter covering general reporting for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com
