He Jie, President of CIH, provides information about this year's run at a press conference in Beijing on August 5 (CHEN RAN)

The 17th Beijing Hope Run will take place in Chaoyang Park on Saturday, October 17.

This year's run, covering a distance of approximately 8 kilometers, will start at 9:00 am and end at 4:00 pm.

The run is primarily organized and held by the Cancer Institute and Hospital (CIH) at the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences in partnership with the China Cancer Foundation, with coordination efforts contributed by the Embassy of Canada in Beijing and the Chaoyang District Health Bureau.

According to He Jie, President of the CIH, more than 280,000 people have participated in the run since 1999, and over 10 million yuan ($1.6 million) has been raised for cancer research and treatment in China through the annual event.

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

Participants may register by contacting the Hope Run organizers at beijinghoperun@126.com or by calling 010-8778 8380.