Cancer Research UK reduced the number of Race for Life runs this year, merging and cancelling events in some localities, as a result of below expectation sign-ups.

Two events have been cancelled entirely and 19 merged. One confirmed merge is the September run in Trentham Gardens which has been scrapped off the schedule due to low entrant numbers, with the charity encouraging runners instead to sign up to its June event and refunding September entry fees.

Cancer Research UK’s head of events Emma Gilbert said: “Tesco and Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life series is down on entries and as a result we have struggled to fill some venues. With this in mind we have taken the difficult decision to merge a number of events and, in a couple of instances, cancel a venue’s event entirely.  

“Race for Life raises money to fund life-saving research. So we owe it to our participants and supporters to ensure that we raise as much money as possible in the most cost-efficient way.

She said that the charity is personally notifying all affected by cancelled events and offering them a place at the nearest alternative event. “We will do everything we can to accommodate their requirements,” she said.

Cancer Research UK had been looking forward to a boost in runner sign-ups in 2011 following Tesco coming on board last December as a headline sponsor and, with that announcement, setting a target of recruiting 1 million runners to the nationwide run series this year. 

The news of cancellation and mergers of Race for Life events also follows the cancelling of Cancer Research UK's other run series last year, Run 10k, also due to a lack of runner interest.