UIS to host a 4K for Cancer team running to raise funds and awareness

The University of Illinois Springfield will host a 4K for Cancer team during their more than 4,000 mile, 49 day cross-country run from San Francisco to Baltimore to raise funds and awareness for young adults with cancer.

The team of 19 runners, made up of college-aged students, will spend two nights on the UIS campus.

The runners are expected to arrive in Springfield on July 19 between 2-4 p.m. and depart Springfield on July 21 around 6 a.m.

The team traveling through Springfield left San Francisco on June 17 and is expected to finish in Baltimore on August 4.

4K for Cancer is a program of the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults, a non-profit organization dedicated to supplying support, awareness and education for young adults with cancer.

The non-profit's program focuses on uniting communities and people across the country who have been affected by cancer.

This is the 17th year 4K for Cancer has sent young adults on a journey across the country in an effort to inspire hope and unite communities in the fight against cancer.

According to 4K for Cancer, more than 70,000 young adults are diagnosed with cancer every year. Young adults (ages 15-39) face a variety of unique challenges with a cancer diagnosis including fertility preservation, social isolation, lack of insurance, delayed diagnosis and more.