‘DetermiNation’ Is Key To Keeping New Year’s Resolutions

ROCKY HILL — This year, many Americans will make a New Year’s resolution to lose weight and/or become more physically active to improve their health. Keeping resolutions can be difficult, but those who plan ahead and set a goal have the best chance for success.

The American Cancer Society’s new “DetermiNation” program offers opportunities to participate in local endurance events such as marathons, half-marathons, triathlons, and cycling events that will not only help the individual with a goal to reach that New Year’s resolution while reducing their own cancer risk, but to dedicate their training and participation to a lifesaving effort to fight a disease that has already taken too many lives.

Veteran athletes and those new to training are encouraged to challenge themselves to find an event, set a goal, and help make every mile more meaningful.

“The DetermiNation program represents the hard work, strength, and commitment needed to compete in an endurance event, and these are the same qualities the American Cancer Society calls on every day in the race to save lives,” said Donna Abruzzese, American Cancer Society, New England Division vice president of special events.

The American Cancer Society DetermiNation endurance event program will provide the support, training, and fundraising tools needed to achieve personal victory — first to raise funds that will help save lives, and then to cross the finish line on race day.

While raising money to support the American Cancer Society’s efforts to fight the disease, participants receive numerous benefits to help them achieve their personal victories, including free local or group training, discount programs, fundraising incentive prizes, and more.

Fundraising commitments vary by event. While there are no DetermiNation events scheduled in Connecticut this year, the program is rapidly expanding across all of New England.

The society will host its second annual Bicycles Battling Cancer, a 75-mile ride from Worcester to Boston, Mass., on Sunday, July 25. Interested participants throughout Connecticut can to register at cancer.org/bicylcesbattlingcancer.

DetermiNation was born out of a program called Charity Runner, which began in 1996 by an individual in the American Cancer Society’s Illinois Division who wanted to run a marathon in memory of a friend he had recently lost to cancer.

Because of the program’s rapid growth, the society has expanded the initiative nationwide to include all types of endurance events.

The American Cancer Society helps people stay well, by preventing cancer or detecting it early; get well, by being in their corner through every step of their cancer experience; by finding cures, through groundbreaking research and treatment discoveries; and by fight backing, through influencing public policy.

For more information, to register, or for volunteer opportunities, visit www.acsdetermination.org, or contact the American Cancer Society 24-hours a day, seven days a week by calling 800-ACS-2345 or visit cancer.org.