It will run the first ever Mother’s Day Classic on Sunday, May 12, a walk/run for breast cancer research.

NIAS’ Pip Benham marshaled numerous sponsors to support the first ever MDC - ShoppingWorld, Rural Fit, Telstra Shop Tamworth, JobLink Plus, South Tamworth Bowling Club and Bridges Financial.

While it is the first MDC in Tamworth it has been running since 1996 in Sydney, Melbourne and other capital cities as well as regional centres.

It started with a group of ladies who worked together in a Sydney Superannuation office and started off with a walk around the Domain.

“It’s now held in seven major cities and 14regional centres,” Benham said.

“MDC is a walk or run for breast cancer research. Since its inception in 1996, the event has raised over 

$14.8 million for the Breast Cancer Foundation’s research programs.”

She said the inaugural Tamworth MDC will be centred at the Tamworth Sportsdome and start 9am, with registration from 8am. The course will wind in and around the hockey complex, past TRECC and the Longyard Golfcourse and back to the Sportsdome.

NIAS will have a celebrity sports person to conduct a “warm up/stretch” before the start of what will be a 3km walk or a 6km run.

South Tamworth Bowling Club’s Owen Walker joked he’d be right to take part if they “had a golf cart”.

However on a more serious note, he said his club had been involved with NIAS in other events as a sponsor and wanted to continue the club’s participation in and support of community events.

“We are just trying to be community-minded,” Owen Walker said.

He would have also been interested to know there are carts available, however they are tea/coffee carts which is part of some other tasty treats such as a breakfast pancake stand, fruit juice, organic fruit and vegetable stalls.

Benham said the first Tamworth MDC will also run in conjunction with the second anniversary of the Tamworth Sports Dome.