HONOR OF HOPE: Zhou Tao (left), anchor from China's Central Television Station, and Feng Gong, a crosstalk performer, once again serving as the Hope Ambassadors for this year's run, attend a press conference of the 14th Beijing Hope Run in Beijing on August 29 (CHEN RAN)

The 14th Beijing Hope Run will take place in Chaoyang Park on Saturday, November 3.

This year's run, covering a distance of approximately 8 km, will start at 9:00 a.m. in the Thousand People's Square and end at about 12:00 p.m.

The principal organizers of the run are the Cancer Institute and Hospital (CIH) of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and the China Cancer Foundation. The Embassy of Canada in Beijing, the Beijing branch of the International Red Cross and the Chaoyang District Health Bureau are the main coordinators.

Zhou Tao, anchor from China's Central Television Station, and Feng Gong, a crosstalk performer, were appointed again as the Hope Ambassadors for this year's run.

According to He Jie, President of the CIH, some 260,000 people have participated in the event since 1999, and over 10 million yuan ($1.4 million) has been raised for China's cancer research and treatment. In 2011 alone, 44 programs were funded by the 2.67-million-yuan ($410,000) donation. Moreover, 51 cancer patients from unprivileged families in central China were treated free of charge under the early diagnosis and early treatment program.

The Beijing Hope Run was inspired by the Terry Fox Run, the largest single-day cancer fundraiser in the world, in memory of Terry Fox, a Canadian bone cancer patient who ran 5,373 km across Canada in 143 days to raise funds for cancer research in 1980.

Participants may register by contacting Hope Run organizers at beijinghoperun@yahoo.cn or calling 010-87788380.