Over 600 #runLOCO4ALS at Fiesta 5k Challenge

On a gorgeous Saturday morning this past weekend, 600 participants gathered to #runLOCO4ALS at the 11th Annual Fiesta 5k Challenge. The event, which brought runners and walkers from across Georgia and the southeast, took place at Fowler Park in Cumming, GA and raised $20,000 to benefit the Emory ALS Center.

The event got started with an invocation by Andy Webb, Youth Pastor of Oak Grove United Methodist Church, followed by the National Anthem. Runners and walkers then made their way to the start line for the 5k race which began on the track at Fowler Park, and proceeded onto the beautiful Big Creek Greenway. All runners and walkers enjoyed the peaceful setting in this pretty area maintained by the Forsyth County Parks & Recreation Department. Andrew Catanese was the Overall Winner for the Males and Caroline Patterson the Overall Female Winner.

For the Masters it was Bruce Catanzarite and Tracey Raspante winning overall. A Fun Run followed the 5k race; children and adults ran up to four laps while spectators cheered for them the entire time.

Sponsors for the event included Control Southern, Inc., ADVA Optical Networking, MECO of Atlanta, Acapella-Design, LLC, Andean Chevrolet, Habersham Funding, LLC, Run’s Done, North GA Running Co., Janice Overbeck Real Estate Team, 1st Choice Sports Rehab, Sign Kwik, and The Ya Ya’s. Nine teams of fundraisers helped add to the total dollars raised – collectively the teams raised $7,500 online from donations given by family and friends.

May is ALS Awareness Month and the nonprofit organization, Cure for ALS, hosts the Fiesta 5k Challenge each year to begin the month long advocacy campaign. “Our inspiration to begin raising money for ALS research was Jon Blais, a special education teacher who completed the Ironman World Championship in Kona, HI in 2005 – five months after he was diagnosed with ALS. Though he died in May, 2007, Jon continues to influence us daily as we work to help put an end to ALS,” says Race Director, Karen Duffy. ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) is a universally fatal neuromuscular disease that can strike anyone without warning. It takes away the ability to move, speak, swallow, and ultimately breathe and the average life span after diagnosis is 2 to 5 years. There are approximately 30,000 people in the U.S. are living with ALS; over 500 are in Georgia.

All proceeds from the event benefit the Emory ALS Center in Atlanta where they not only study ALS in labs but also treat patients, providing the best care in the Southeast. This combination enables clinician-researchers to gain a better understanding of the disease and gives patients the opportunity to participate in clinical trials and cutting-edge treatments. Their slogan, “Celebrate Life, Imagine a Cure” is what they do every day. For more information about the Emory ALS Center visit www.als.emory.edu.

The next event for Cure for ALS is the Terance Mathis Celebrity Golf Classic which will be held on Monday, September 18, 2017 at St. Marlo Country Club, with a pre party event at Topgolf Alpharetta on Sunday, September 17th. All proceeds from the event will benefit the Emory ALS Center.