Nov 06, 2009
Earn free training to Race to Stop MS in a marathon or triathlon
The National MS Society’s Pacific South Coast Chapter which serves San Diego, Imperial and Orange Counties, is offering aspiring triathlon racers and marathon runners free personal training, fundraising assistance and entry fees into a variety of high-profile upcoming events in exchange for their fundraising efforts amounting to a minimum donation of $1,750 – $2,000. Donations will benefit research, services and programs for people with MS, a chronic, unpredictable and disabling disease of the central nervous system with no known cause, cure or prevention.
The program is called “I Race to Stop MS,” and Newport Beach’s Stephen Zamucen, Principal with Zamucen &, Curren, has already joined. Zamucen has been a long-time supporter of the National MS Society because of a family member who was diagnosed with MS. Zamucen will race in the Catalina Island Triathlon on November 7. “I race to raise awareness for multiple sclerosis,” says Zamucen, “and to fund for research to find a cure.”
The Race to Stop MS events are: March 21 for the LA Marathon, March 27 for the Ironman 70.3 Triathlon in Oceanside, one of the world’s most challenging endurance events; June 6 for the 13th annual “premier music marathon” in San Diego, featuring 45 live bands and about 20,000 runners; June 27 for the San Diego International Triathlon (Sprint or International), featuring a 1,000-meter swim in San Diego Bay, 30-kilometer bicycle ride to Cabrillo National Monument and a 10-kilometer run along Harbor Island and the Embarcadero; August 15 for the America’s Finest City Half Marathon. Or, as Zamucen did, participants may elect to register for any endurance-type event and receive free personal training, fundraising assistance in exchange for their fundraising efforts (minimum $2,000). Additionally, racers can form relay teams and participate in select triathlons while pooling donations (minimum fundraising for relay teams is $750 per team – training not included).
Personal and group training for the LA Marathon and Oceanside Ironman 70.3 begin on December 2, though participants are welcome to join the training at any point. Participants must be at least 12 years old. Personal training is provided by Rehab United, a San Diego-based physical therapy and sports performance center. More information is available at www.racetostopMS.com or by contacting Nicole Pearson at the chapter nicole.pearson@nmms.org or 760-448-8422.
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About Multiple Sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis interrupts the flow of information within the brain and between the body and stops people from moving. Every hour in the United States, someone is newly diagnosed with MS, an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system. 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 more at least two to three times more women than men being diagnosed with the disease. MS affects more than 400,000 people in the U.S., and 2.1 million worldwide.
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. Last year alone, through our national office and 50-state network of chapters, we devoted over $136 million to programs that enhanced more than one million lives. Locally, the Pacific South Coast Chapter provides programs and services designed to help the 18,000 people and families affected by MS in San Diego, Orange and Imperial counties move their lives forward. To move us closer to a world free of MS, the Society also invested approximately $50 million to support 440 research projects around the world. Nearly $4 million is spent on MS research in our area annually. 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 your options by talking to your health care professional and contacting the National MS Society at www.nationalMSsociety.org or 1-800-344-4867 (1-800-FIGHT-MS).
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