Oct 26, 2009
Family tradition offers USATF-certified events & chip timing
Carla Koss
The first-ever run for multiple sclerosis in Wilmington took place 30 years ago this Thanksgiving Day, when 459 runners raised more than $2,000. Since then, long-time sponsor Bank of Delaware morphed into PNC Bank, organizers expanded the event to accommodate walkers and children as well as runners, and the original runners continued to bring their growing families along. Now considered a family tradition, the PNC Bank Thanksgiving Day Run/Walk for MS last year attracted more than 2,100 participants who raised more than $75,000 for MS research plus the programs and services needed by more than 1,500 Delawareans with MS and their families.
The 2009 event, taking place on Thursday, November 26, starts at the PNC Bank Center at 222 Delaware Avenue in Wilmington and winds along the Brandywine River. Both the 5K and 10K runs are certified by USA Track & Field, and event organizers have added chip timing. With this state-of-the-art technology, the participants wear a small, lightweight chip on their shoelaces that identifies each runner and walker as they cross electronic mats at the start and finish lines.
“With the ChronoTrack system of chip timing,” explains Kate Cowperthwait, president of the Delaware Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and member of the event committee, “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.”
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.
Because of the number of participants, starting times are staggered:
• 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 is an unpredictable, often-disabling disease of the central nervous system that 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.