TORONTO — What may be the first of a number of local fundraising races is coming up in just a few weeks.

The Pat Campbell Fighting Cancer 5K Run, a race supporting local residents with cancer, will return on March 15.

Runners will depart at 10:30 a.m., with walkers to follow a minute later, from a starting line outside Crossroads North River Church at 207 North River Ave.

Since 2023, members of the church have organized the run, which was launched 15 years ago by the Toronto Coalition for Revitalization.

Last year, it raised $22,000 for the Teramana Emergency Assistance Relief Fund established at Trinity Health System’s Teramana Cancer Center.

The fund is used to aid patients in financial need with medical co-pays, durable equipment and other needs.

It’s a fitting cause as its namesake, attorney William Pat Campbell, battled Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma before succumbing to a heart attack in 2009.

A Navy veteran, Campbell served aboard the USS North Carolina for several months in 1945 and 1946 before he earned a law degree at Ohio State University and went on to a long career in law, during which he was president of the Jefferson County Bar Association and a member of the Ohio Bar Association and its ethics committee as well as the American Bar Association.

Born on St. Patrick’s Day, Campbell was proud of his Irish heritage and the race has been held each year on a Saturday close to the holiday.

To celebrate the run’s 15th anniversary, organizers have arranged for commemorative T-shirts to be made. Those who register by Thursday will receive one of the shirts.

The registration fee will be $25 before March 14 and $35 on March 14, when participants may register at the church at 5:30 p.m.

Registration on March 15, the day of the race, will begin at 8 a.m.

The cost for participants 12 and under is $15.

Participants also may register online at https://runsignup.com/Race/Events/OH/Toronto/FightingCancer5K.

Organizers are looking for additional volunteers to staff water stations along the route, help in the church’s kitchen and perform other tasks and they may sign up through the same website.

During the run, Irish Blessings drawings will be held for various prizes.

The race’s course will run from the church along North River Avenue, which offers a scenic view of the Ohio River, to Old Route 7 at the city’s south end and back.

It’s certified by USA Track and Field, ensuring it’s 5 kilometers long, and timed. Medals will be awarded to the top three overall finishers and top three finishers in several age groups.

Participants who go on to take part in three other Toronto races will receive medals noting they have completed the Gem City Quadfecta Challenge.

The three others are: The Biasi-Shuma 5K Run Walk, which is held in July and benefits the Ohio Valley Heart Association and Jefferson County United Way; the Louann Burchfield/Kathy Hannan Hale Colors of Cancer Memorial 5K, which is held in August and also supports cancer patients; and the T-Town Turkey Trot, which is held early Thanksgiving Day and benefits the Helping Hands Food Pantry.