"One of these days, surely there is going to be a cure for it and everybody won't have to go through what I've gone through," says Gina Spells, a three-year breast cancer survivor. She wears a festive hat adorned with a bright pink bra, among a sea of pink.

"One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime, so everyone knows someone who's been affected by breast cancer," says Lorna Palmer, Executive Director of the Central and Western Oklahoma Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

Since 1994, Central and Western Oklahoma's Susan G. Komen affiliate has invested over 9.5-million dollars in breast health. This year alone, it has donated over 250-thousand dollars to research. "Until we've eradicated the disease, we need to have as much funds available to provide screening, education and treatment for those who are medically underserved or uninsured."

Among the thousands who packed Saturday's race, many men laced up their sneakers-- not just in support of women, but also in support of themselves. "Men can get breast cancer. Not many people know, but they definitely can," says Dr. Shubham Pant, an Oncologist at the Stephenson Cancer Center. Though not as prevalent as women, he says two-thousand men are diagnosed with breast cancer in the U.S. each year. And, each year, 400 of them die. "The main symptom they see in the beginning is a lump under the nipple. Sometimes, they can have some nipple discharge. That's a little bit rare, but the biggest thing is a hard lump."

"I think most men think, you know, it's their pecks. But, it is breast tissue," adds Palmer.

"Most of the men who are at risk for getting breast cancer are men with gynecomastia, which means they have more tissue in the breast," says Dr. Pant. He says there are other signs that can put men at a higher risk for breast cancer, as well. "Some men have undescended testes, in which they have something called testicular atrophy, in which the testes don't grow to a regular, normal growth."

Dr. Pant says there's no room for macho in breast cancer. "If (men) feel a lump or something, they just ignore it and they say, 'Oh, you know, it'll get better. I don't need to see a doctor.' If you feel something, you should not ignore it. If it spreads to other organs, like the liver or lungs, then it is incurable."

Doctors say men do not need to get regular checks, but should be aware of their bodies and take any changes seriously.