Londoners tied up their laces and hit the pavement Sunday for the CIBC Run for the Cure.

It is the biggest volunteer-run fundraiser for breast cancer research.

Thousands of Canadians took part, including nearly 3000 in London.

"There will be about 100,000 people who will participate or be at a park for the run and across Canada. We'll raise over $27 million this year, so that will be awesome," says spokesperson Colin McIlveen.

During the closing ceremonies, organizers announced that $605,302 had been raised in London during this year’s run.

Over the past 20 years, London's run has raised more than $9 million for breast cancer research.

That money has helped to increase the survival rate by more than 40% over the past two decades.

Meaning people like Shelley Pautler can continue to walk and run years years after they've been cured.

"We come to this event every year and we think its fantastic," says Pautler.

The entire Pautler family has been running for a cure since Shelley beat cancer five years ago.

"My mom had breast cancer and I know it was pretty hard for her to go through it," says her son Brandon.

The Pautlers conquered Shelley's cancer as a family but husband Steve continues to fight it everyday as a cancer surgeon.

"You never expect it to happen to your family, but it did and its so important to get together as a community and to fund-raise, to feel the energy, to celebrate the survivors and to remember those who unfortunately lost their battle," says Steve Paulter.