VALDOSTA — The Seventh Annual Get A Mammy 5K run raised an estimated $3,600 to help fund mammograms for men and women throughout the South Georgia area.

At Bethany Baptist Church, 161 runners crossed the finish line early Saturday morning. Each year the event is held in honor of a person fighting breast cancer. This year’s event was dedicated to Kim Slocumb.

Slocumb, who was diagnosed in 2016, said the 5K was her first time attending the Get A Mammy event. She said the support at the event was phenomenal.

“This is great. It’s amazing the number of people who come out to support such a great foundation,” Slocumb said. “I was really honored to be selected for this.”

She was selected by Tracy Thomas, founder of Get A Mammy. Thomas started the foundation after she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2009. She was the honoree in that year, which still holds the record for the highest attendance, Thomas said.

“It’s growing every year. This year’s event was bigger than the last, and we hope that next year will be even bigger than our inaugural,” Thomas said.

Since the inaugural year, Get A Mammy has helped 200 people get mammograms. The 5K event is run every year on the last Saturday in September, Thomas said. 

Registering to run on race day costs $25. All proceeds provides funds for mammograms to women in financial need and go toward increasing awareness of the importance of early detection, provide funds for cancer research and reconstructive surgery for qualified applicants.

Thomas Lynn is a government and education reporter for The Valdosta Daily Times. He can be reached at (229)244-3400 ext. 1256