Mumbai, Nov 25 (AZINS) Actress Bipasha Basu Tuesday expressed support for Pinkathon, a run for breast cancer awareness, terming it an important platform that encourages women.

"It's a pleasure to be associated with Pinkathon for consecutively three years now. I feel that Pinkathon is an important platform that encourages women to come out of their shell and talk about their fight with cancer. 

"It gives them a chance to show the world how tough they are to stand against all odds and truly be winners. I wish Milind all the success in this noble endeavour and urge the women of Mumbai to participate in huge numbers," Bipasha told reporters as actor Milind Soman formally announced the launch of this year's SBI Mumbai Pinkathon at a press conference in Asilo.

"Pinkathon is beyond a marathon. It is a run for a noble cause connecting people across segments. It has become a national movement. Mumbai and Mumbaikars have come in large numbers and supported us throughout our journey," he said.

The focus of the international running event is to encourage an active lifestyle and overall fitness for women and create much needed awareness about breast cancer. Pinkathon will take place in Mumbai on Dec 14.

SBI Pinkathon has so far been held across the country in Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Ahmedabad and Pune.

The event expects over 10,000 participants. It had a varied number of participants from an 18 month old girl to a 79-year-old lady, a squad of blind girls and one of cancer survivors.

Bipasha said: "I hope more than 10,000 women come forward and support this cause. I will be part of this cause and will run as much as I can."

The run has received tremendous support in Mumbai from various celebrities like Lisa Haydon, Karisma Kapoor, Gul Panag and Bipasha who have gone all out to promote the cause.