Thousands of people came together for this 7-kilometer run in support of rare diseases

The Organization for Rare Diseases India (ORDI) held the 9th edition of its annual flagship event, Racefor7 across 15 cities in India, on February 25, 2024. This 7-kilometer marathon intends to raise awareness about rare diseases and provide patients and their families with access to medical treatment and resources. More than 9,000 people in total, including patients and caregivers joined the run this year.

The Bangalore run was flagged off at 7.00 am by notable Kannada cinema actor Mr. Ramesh Aravind at the St. Joseph’s Indian High school ground, Ashok Nagar. More than 3000 people had come together to run for this wonderful cause. Since its inception in 2016 in Bengaluru, the event has expanded nationwide and this year the run was held simultaneously across the cities of Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Kochi, Pune, Mysuru, Davangere, Hubballi, Asansol, Kozhikode, Coimbatore in line with the theme ONE NATION, ONE DAY – TOGETHER FOR RARE.

Racefor7 is an annual awareness run organized to observe World Rare Diseases Day. The last day of February is marked as World Rare Diseases Day to help people and policymakers understand rare diseases and their impact on patients’ lives. This year the day falls on Thursday, 29th February.

There are more than 7000 Rare Diseases known or reported world-wide. Over 350 million people world-wide are affected by this and this number is more than 70 million in India where 1 in 20 Indians is affected by one of the rare diseases. About 80% of rare diseases are genetic in origin and 50% of these are onset at birth while the rest start showing symptoms later. Rare diseases include inherited cancers, autoimmune disorders, congenital malformations, and many infectious diseases. Majority of the diseases have no treatment, and the existing treatments are mostly unaffordable. Early diagnosis is critical; however, it often takes close to 7 years to diagnose a rare disease. Therefore, this awareness run is called Racefor7– 7000 known rare diseases, 70 mn rare disease patients in India and an average of 7 years to diagnose a rare disease.

Mr. Prasanna Kumar Shirol, Co-founder & Executive Director of ORDI, said, “I thank Bangalore and the people of 15 cities for supporting our rare disease patients and caregivers, and for showing the spirit of “One Nation, One Day together for Rare” by participating in Race for 7. This gives us the feeling that we are not alone. It has helped us carry our message to policymakers and other stakeholders, taking awareness to the next level in India.”

“I am honoured to support the cause of Rare Diseases and participate in Racefor7. Every step we take brings us closer to raising awareness and finding solutions for our patients with Rare Diseases,” said Ramesh Aravind, actor, director, screenwriter, and television presenter who works in Kannada films and television.