
Hundreds complete Race for Life at Alyn Waters Country Park
Starting out on grass, the course was designed to take runners into the woodland on gravel paths, following a largely flat route with a couple of small climbs in the woods.
Runners setting off on Sunday morning (Image: Staff) Will Peters from Wrexham and Andrew Slinn from Anglesey (Image: Staff) Elen and Leonie Griffiths from Coedpoeth (Image: Staff) Nigel Hughes from Wrexham (Image: Staff) Hundreds of runners attended to take part - supported by even more friends and family - and were led through a big group warmup routine before setting off.
Laura Cass, Cancer Research Event Manager, told the Leader: "We have 400 participants taking part today in our 3k, 5k and 10k events.
"We're aiming to raise £35,000 and (as of 11am) we've already raised over £25,000 - which is brilliant.
Runners setting off on Sunday morning (Image: Staff) Benjamin and Stef Heath from Wrexham (Image: Staff) Andrew Griffiths from Gresford and Kelly Whiting from Prestatyn (Image: Staff)"The weather has turned out lovely as well; it's a beautiful day to be in Wrexham.
"It's really uplifting to see everyone here as a community, helping to raise money for Cancer Research."
Many were taking part in such an event for the first time, including 64-year-old Nigel Hughes, from Wrexham.
Phoebe Ainsworth from Longton, Preston, and Cameron Jones from Machynlleth (Image: Staff) Group warmup before the run begins (Image: Staff) He said: "It's really great to be taking part today. I've been walking my dog for preparation."
Andrew Griffiths, from Gresford, took part in the 10k with his daughter Kelly Whiting.
After crossing the finish line, Mr Griffiths said: "That was great - it was pretty tough in the last quarter though!"

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The Guardian
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'The closest analogy is, you have a mole on your skin and it's growing or discolored, and doctors remove it,' says Michael Sapienza, CEO of the Colorectal Cancer Alliance, a colorectal cancer advocacy group in the US. If a mass is too big to remove during the colonoscopy, the doctor will take a sample to biopsy and test for cancer. A colonoscopy is an outpatient procedure, meaning you can go home the same day. The procedure itself usually takes about 20 to 30 minutes, but with pre- and post-procedure care, the whole process can last two to three hours, says Dr Andres Carrion, a gastroenterologist at GastroMed Miami. One of the most common concerns about colonoscopies is that they are painful, says Carrion. But 'intravenous sedatives make the procedure easy, and there is no pain or discomfort', he explains. Colonoscopy preparation starts about a week before the procedure. Patients are instructed to eat a 'low residue' diet for that week, which means avoiding foods that can make it difficult for doctors to get a good look at the lining of the colon. 'These are things that the body takes a while to get rid of, like seeds, nuts, leafy greens and high fiber things,' says Foda. The day before the procedure, patients are restricted to a clear liquid diet – no solid foods. And the night before, they take laxatives to fully clear the colon. This can result in spending quite a bit of time on the toilet. 'Hopefully you have some good reading or a movie you can watch on your phone,' says Sapienza. Colonoscopies are generally extremely safe, but as with any medical procedure, there are risks. According to the Cleveland Clinic, these include an adverse reaction to the sedative or anaesthetic used, dehydration from the preparation process, slight bleeding after a polyp is removed or mass biopsied, some abdominal pain, infection and a perforated bowel. This last risk is serious, but rare. One review found that there were four bowel perforations for every 10,000 colonoscopies performed. Sign up to Well Actually Practical advice, expert insights and answers to your questions about how to live a good life after newsletter promotion Those at an average risk of colorectal cancer – meaning no family history of the disease and no prior history of colon polyps – should get regular screenings from ages 45 to 75, says Carrion. Above the age of 75, screening needs are determined on a case-by-case basis. Depending on a person's health and medical history, doctors may decide that colonoscopies could do more harm than good. For those with a first-degree family member – meaning a parent, sibling or child – diagnosed with colorectal cancer, Carrion says screening should start 10 years before the age at which your relative was diagnosed. For example, if your mother was diagnosed with colon cancer when she was 45, you should start getting screened at 35. Certain medical histories also put individuals at a higher risk for colorectal cancer, says Foda. This includes those who have previously had cancer and have received chemotherapy, those with inflammatory bowel disease, as well as those with Lynch syndrome (a condition that increases an individual's risk for many kinds of cancer) and polyposis (a condition characterized by a large number of polyps in the colon). Colonoscopies are not the only way to screen for colorectal cancer. For those at an average risk of the disease, there are also non-invasive at-home tests like Cologuard and the fecal immunochemical test (FIT), says Sapienza. For both tests, a patient will receive the necessary testing material in the mail or from a doctor. They will then have to mail in a personal fecal sample. The FIT analyzes whether there is blood in the stool. The Cologuard test looks for both blood in the stool and abnormal DNA that could point to polyps or masses in the colon. The frequency for each person depends on a number of factors including the type of test performed and medical history. If a colonoscopy is completely clear, you can usually wait 10 years before your next procedure, says Sapienza, but check with your doctor. Current guidance recommends that FIT tests be repeated every year, and Cologuard every three years, says Sapienza. If the test is negative, no further analysis is required. If either test comes back positive, you will have to have a colonoscopy. This does not mean the at-home tests are not effective at detecting the disease alone, says Foda. 'They should be viewed as part of the gold standard for colorectal cancer screening.' In addition to regular screenings, be familiar with possible symptoms of colorectal cancer, says Sapienza. This is especially important for those under 45, who might not be eligible yet for screenings. These symptoms include blood in the stool, especially dark blood; a change in bowel habits; anemia; involuntary weight loss; and/or ongoing stomach discomfort. If you start to present with any of these symptoms, talk to your primary care doctor or gastroenterologist, and ask for a colonoscopy, he says. 'We need to make sure that people are aware of these symptoms,' says Sapienza. 'This is a disease where screening saves lives.'