Aug 24, 2009
Chip timing for largest run/walk event in Delaware
Carla Koss
For the first time in the 30-year history of the largest run/walk event in Delaware—PNC Bank Thanksgiving Day Run/Walk for MS—the participants will reap the benefits of chip timing. With this state-of-the-art technology, the participants wear a small, lightweight chip that identifies them as they cross electronic mats at the start and finish lines. Organizers of the event believe that each runner and walker will benefit from the addition of chip timing because it ensures the most accurate timing possible.
“The chip records exactly when someone crosses the start and finish lines,” explains Kate Cowperthwait, president of the Delaware Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. “With the ChronoTrack system of chip timing, we will know the exact time it took for each participant to complete the course. We think the addition of chip timing will make this 30th anniversary event the best ever.”
Taking place on Thursday, November 26, the PNC Bank Thanksgiving Day Run/Walk for MS starts at the PNC Bank Center at 222 Delaware Avenue in Wilmington and winds along the Brandywine River. Special awards will be handed out to overall male and female run winners and to the top three finishers in each run, walk, and age category as well as to the top fundraisers.
The four events that make up the Thanksgiving Day run/walk and their starting times are as follows:
• 10K USATF-certified run starts at 9:00 A.M.
• Blue Cross Blue Shield of Delaware 5K USATF-certified run starts at 10:30 A.M.
• Contompasis Foot and Ankle Services 5K walk starts at 10:31 A.M.
• Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children Kiddie Fun Run starts at 10:00 A.M. and does not include chip timing.
Discounts are available for early registration. For more information or to register, call (302) 655-5610. Or visit www.MSdelaware.org.
About multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis, an unpredictable, often-disabling disease of the central nervous system, interrupts the flow of information within the brain and between the brain and the body. Symptoms range from numbness and tingling to blindness and paralysis. The progress, severity, and specific symptoms of MS in any one person cannot yet be predicted, but advances in research and treatment are moving us closer to a world free of MS.
Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50 with at least two to three times more women than men being diagnosed with the disease. MS affects more than 2.1 million people worldwide, 400,000 in the U.S., and more than 1,500 in Delaware.
About the National Multiple Sclerosis Society
MS stops people from moving; the National MS Society exists to make sure it doesn’t. We help each person address the challenges of living with MS. In 2007 alone, through our home office and 50-state network of chapters, we devoted more than $136 million to programs that enhanced more than one million lives. To move us closer to a world free of MS, the Society also invested more than $50 million to support 440 research projects around the world. We are people who want to do something about MS—NOW. Join the Movement at www.nationalMSsociety.org.
Early and ongoing treatment with an FDA-approved therapy can make a difference for people with multiple sclerosis. Learn about the options by talking to a health-care professional and then contacting the National MS Society at www.nationalMSsociety.org or at 800-FIGHT-MS (800-344-4867). In Delaware, call (302) 655-5610. Or visit www.MSdelaware.org.