Yukoners opened their wallets and proved how generous they can be at Sunday's Run for Mom, and every cent of the $51,606 raised will stay right here in the Yukon for breast cancer.

The final tally after the charity fun run/walk is huge, and Run for Mom chair person Val Pike said it does not yet include money raised in the communities that hosted their own runs, and sponsorship dollars.

"That's awesome, and there'll be more,” Pike said Monday.

Watson Lake, Atlin and Carmacks each hosted their own events to raise money, and the run's many sponsors still have to pitch in their final dollars.

Pike said they have a few bills to settle, but still expects to see the number jump.

"Certainly I was surprised and thrilled,” Pike said of the funds raised.

The money will go towards breast cancer research and support right here in the Yukon, and Pike said that was an important factor to those donating.

"Yukoners are very generous, but they want the money to stay where it's going to help Yukon people,” she said. "I think that's why we've been so successful.”

The Run for Mom is free to participate in, and donations are completely optional.

One woman raised $12,000 alone, Pike said.

Those interested in adding to the number can do so until the end of June via the event's website at www.runformom.com where an online form will accept donations.

While Pike did not have official numbers, she suspects the money raised may have climbed higher than previous years.

"I think this is a bit higher than last year,” she said.

Pike doesn't expect the official amount to be in for awhile.

"We won't have the final figure for a bit yet,” she said.

Another huge number the Run for Mom had was attendance. Estimates put the total number of runners and walkers at between 1,200 to 1,700.

"The park was full, we were pretty happy,” Pike said. "(It was) very successful.”

The area surrounding the SS Klondike was packed Sunday afternoon, and a traffic jam held runners back at the start of the race as the thousand or so people filed onto Millennium Trail.

This is the first year the Run for Mom has been held at the SS Klondike. It moved across the road from the Rotary Park for the 2010 edition and Pike said it was a huge success.

"I think having it at the SS Klondike was a real treat for people,” Pike said, adding that the committee will discuss keeping the new location for next year at a meeting today.

An unofficial count at the end saw about 1,000 pass through, not including those who filed into the parking lot early and those that stayed behind.

"It's rewarding on a number of fronts,” Pike said.

One being that the number of people attending helped to raise the profile of breast cancer and breast health. It also shows those battling breast cancer the immense support they have.

"We all know people who are effected by breast cancer,” Pike said.

The attendees were entertained by a DJ and local band the Gumboots before and after the walk. They were also treated to a tour of the SS Klondike. Pike said Parks and Recreation opened up the paddlewheeler and saw about 400 people pass through it.

Pike issued a special thank you to all the sponsors and volunteers who helped make the event a success.