According to the Anchorage Daily News, more than 5,300 women ran and walked in the 2025 Alaska Run for Women, with around 1,200 virtual participants.

Alaska News Source reported that runners from all 50 states and D.C. gathered in Anchorage for the Alaska Run for Women.

In its 33rd year, race officials reported that thousands of women signed up for the race, both in person and virtually. The event aims to raise awareness of breast cancer.

For the sixth consecutive year, participants included individuals from all 50 states, including a team from Alaska’s News Source.

A seminal review indicates similarities in the clinical presentation and progression of breast cancer between Africans and African Americans, suggesting genetic factors may influence racial differences in breast cancer epidemiology in the U.S.

Published in an issue of CANCER, the article highlighted that Africa could see rising breast cancer rates as women adopt Western reproductive and dietary habits that increase risks.

While African American women have lower breast cancer rates than white women, they experience worse outcomes and are diagnosed at a younger age.

Among women under 45 in the U.S., African Americans exhibit the highest incidence rates, and they are more likely to have advanced disease features, similar to patterns observed in Ashkenazi populations linked to BRCA-1 and -2 mutations.

Dr. Alero Fregene and Dr. Lisa A. Newman reviewed literature on breast cancer in sub-Saharan Africa, where many African Americans trace their ancestry.

They emphasize the need to understand breast cancer characteristics in this region, as African women are often diagnosed between the ages of 35 and 45, over fifteen years earlier than women in Europe and North America.

Although the overall incidence in sub-Saharan Africa is low (20 per 100,000), which is significantly lower than in the West (90 per 100,000), this was attributed to protective behaviors that limit estrogen exposure, such as reproductive patterns and dietary habits.

The authors warned that as Africans adopt Western lifestyles, these protective factors could diminish, leading to increased breast cancer risks.

The similarities between breast cancer in African Americans and sub-Saharan Africans suggest hereditary factors may contribute to the younger age distribution found in these populations.

This year’s Alaska Run For Women was one of the largest events in the program’s 33-year lifetime. https://t.co/i9gD68zmD4

— Anchorage Daily News (@adndotcom) June 8, 2025