Mother's Day Classic celebrates a decade of support for cancer research

This year, the event expanded its focus to raise awareness for ovarian cancer, a cause that hits close to home for event manager and volunteer, Carmen Abi-Saab.

"It's quite poignant for me because two years ago I lost a dear friend to ovarian cancer," she said. "Within 10 months of her being diagnosed of the disease, she had passed away.

"Because of the symptoms that come with ovarian cancer, it's quite hard to detect it early.

"Often the people diagnosed are already in quite an advanced stage of the disease and that's why the survival rates are quite low and that's why we lost our dear friend."

The MDC's goal is to raise awareness of breast and ovarian cancer in local communities and increase money for medical research - to elevate women's health, prevent deaths from breast cancer, and improve the survival outcomes for ovarian cancer.

Held in capital cities and regional towns all across the country, including Port Macquarie, the event has been the biggest donor to the National Breast Cancer Foundation (NBCF) since it began, raising $44 million for research.

In that time, the five-year survival rate for breast cancer has increased from 84 per cent to 92 per cent.

The survival rates for those diagnosed with ovarian cancer are not as strong - it's currently just 49 per cent. This year, the Mother's Day Classic will donate a portion of the funds to the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation (OCRF).

Despite the wet weather leading up to the event, the day went smoothly under mostly clear skies and with nearly 700 people registered to participate.

"We were really pleased with the day and the sun was shining which was brilliant," she said. "We thought we were going to be rained out, but we progressed under mostly clear skies."

"We were really pleased with the turnout, and it was a great way to celebrate out 10-year anniversary. "