Pink fur, pink wigs, pink boas and pink hats fill the streets en masse.

It can only mean one thing: the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure is here. As one of the country’s largest Race for the Cure, tens of thousands Denverites come together for this event to show their commitment to eradicating breast cancer as a life-threatening disease.

As the daughter of a breast cancer survivor and the granddaughter of a woman who put up a valiant fight for four years, this is a no-miss event. I pull on pink sweats, slip into my pink tank and douse my braids with hot-pink spray. On those cooler mornings, I might don a saucy pink wig for a little extra warmth. And, along with just about everyone else, I pin a list to my back honoring those for whom I’m walking.

The walk to the event is not a lonely one. People fill the streets on that Sunday morning, coming from all directions, gathering in the registration area of the Pepsi Center parking lot. This isn’t just an event for women. Sons, fathers, husbands and other men join the festivities, often gussied up in as much pink as the women.

While the co-ed walk is the most well-known event on this day, it’s not the only option. There is also a 5k run as well as a 1k family walk. For those who can’t make it downtown but still want to add support, an option to “sleep in for the cure” is also available online.

2014  will mark the 22nd Race for the Cure in Denver, with a goal of raising more than $1.5 million. With one in eight women being stricken with breast cancer in her lifetime, the Komen organization puts the money raised from this event toward “funding education, screening, and treatment programs for these women and thousands of others in our own community and supports the national search for a cure.”

The race isn’t just about running and walking, though. Numerous tents are set up at the end of the route featuring handouts from sponsors, drawings, information and games. Music floats through the air from mobile stages.

A survivors’ ceremony is held as morning nears end, and hundreds of women, often identified by their hot-pink ball caps, gather together to celebrate and be celebrated by teary onlookers.

If interested in participating, you can find local race day schedules and dates at Komen.org.