Sometimes you have to get by with a little help from your friends.

On Saturday, some 800 runners will compete in the Classic 10K, but they'll also have the opportunity to support the Circle of Hope Fund, which helps area cancer patients with day-to-day living expenses.

The Circle of Hope Fund had conducted its own fund-raising race, but the logistics and expenses were prohibitive. That's when John and Carol O'Donnell stepped in.

Click here to register online and make a donation to Circle of Hope.

Online registration ends on Thursday.

Classic 10K info here

"They needed a way to make their event more profitable, and so we agreed that they would merge with us," said John O'Donnell, Classic 10K race director. "We're always looking for a community angle. We always want to help if possible."

Re-named the Classic 10K and Circle of Hope Run, the race is known as one of the fastest 10K runs in Colorado. It begins at 7 a.m. Saturday at Tiffany Square and ends at Monument Valley Park. Runners will follow the mostly flat, slightly downhill Pikes Peak Greenway Trail.

Cary Blanchette, executive director of the Memorial Health System Foundation said the Classic 10K is a perfect partner for the Circle of Hope Fund.

“We merged the race in hopes of expanding awareness to more than 1,000 runners who will run the race,’’ Blanchette said. “By combining the two events, the Classic 10K absorbs the expense of putting on the Run for Hope, and runners still have the opportunity to donate to this important cause – the Circle of Hope fund."

All of the donations – 100 percent – made to Circle of Hope are used to help cancer patients.

“The need for emergency assistance has tripled over the last two years,’’ Blanchette said. “There are people with cancer who currently need financial help, but our fund is nearly depleted."

The overall race record is held by Charles Kamindo of Boulder, who covered the 6.2 mile distance in 29 minutes, 30 seconds in 2005. The women's record belongs to Colleen DeReuck, who won with a time of 34:17 in 2010.

Up to $1,400 in prize money is available, with the race winners earning $250 each. And race organizers have added a Classic Kokopelli Kids Run, which begins at 8:20 a.m.

Busses will be available to shuttle runners back to the start.