Runners laced up their sneakers and headed to NorthPark Center on Saturday to take part in the 29th annual Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure event for breast cancer awareness.

NorthPark Center turned pink to celebrate the occasion. Tents, balloons and a massive stage filled the north parking lot.

Macy’s signature sign, which gleams bright over Central Expressway, was also lit up in the symbolic color.

The Race is a walk/run event, featuring both a 1K and 5K course, which raises money for breast cancer research in hopes of eliminating the disease forever.

Area roads were closed off Saturday as the walkers and runners made their way down Boedeker Street and Park Lane.

While many Dallas natives are aware that October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, few may know that the Race for the Cure event began in Dallas in 1983 with just 800 participants.

Since then, the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure has become the world’s largest fundraising event for breast cancer.

Today, the Race attracts more than 1.6 million participants in 146 locations worldwide.

The success of the event can in part be contributed to the dedicated volunteers who embolden the cause each year.

Jessica Palacios, a student at the University of Texas at Dallas, volunteered on Saturday with the Ladies of Vision and Excellence (L.O.V.E).

The group was there to “support the women that are survivors.”

Tony Prather attended the race Saturday morning to volunteer and offer his support. He brought with him the local youth softball team, Smash It.

Prather brought seven girls and their parents to volunteer at the event. Two of the mothers walked in the Race.

It was the group’s first year volunteering, and they plan to return next year.

“We’re going to walk in it next year as a team,” Prather said.

Palacio, Prather and their teams were some of the 100,000 volunteers who are the heart and soul of the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

Men, women and children gather in Dallas annually to take part in the event. This year, over 22,000 participants joined in on the festivities. Some have participated since the inauguration while others are first timers.

Mary Cay Mussey, a Dallas breast cancer survivor, participated in the event in Plano. However, this year, her company put together a team to race in Dallas.

With her daughter by her side, Mussey braved the crowds and raced with fellow fighters.

While Mussey is a community resident, several participants come from afar to join the fight.

Robin Bowers lives in East Texas but makes the drive each year to Dallas to partake in the occasion.

She has run in the event for the last 10 years in memory of her two aunts who passed away from the disease.

This year, Bowers brought along her friend Holly Weems, who had never participated in the Race. Weems said she began running to “kick a smoking habit” and decided to train for the

event.

A sense of camaraderie is felt throughout the entire event, as supporters gather together with one goal in mind: to find a cure.

Many local organizations form teams to participate in the Komen Race.

Roxanna Narat and Matt Badali stood out in bright pink tutus as they raced with their group to encourage Asian breast cancer awareness.

Susan G. Komen for the Cure has invested nearly $2 billion in breast cancer research, education and support since its inception in 1982.

The disease is the most commonly diagnosed cancer and leading cancer killer of women worldwide.

Last year’s event raised $2.6 million, and Komen Dallas hoped to top that this year with a goal of $2.7 million, according to the “Dallas Business Journal.”

Over $1.4 million was raised prior to the event on Saturday, and donations are still being taken.

Up to 75 percent of the money raised will stay in the local Dallas community to fund screening, treatment and education programs that will support the initiative.