Walk/Run MS 5Ks Come to Bristol May 3

Hundreds of walkers will turn out in force for Walk MS, presented by Biogen, in Bristol, R.I., on May 3, 2015, raising awareness and money to help people with multiple sclerosis and for research to find a cure.

This year, Walk MS locations throughout New England will raise approximately $2,540,000 for the Greater New England Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

“During the last 69 years, the Society has been at the core of virtually every major breakthrough in treating and understanding the disease,” said Greater New England Chapter President Lori Espino.

Walk MS is a fundraising event that fuels the movement to create a world free of multiple sclerosis. Everyone who raises at least $100 receives a souvenir t-shirt, and there are prizes for higher fundraising amounts. Visit www.walkMSgne.org to register in advance, which is recommended.

In Bristol, Walk MS will take place at Mt. Hope High School. Also in Bristol on May 3 will be Run MS 5K Rhode Race. Run MS is on a certified course through beautiful Colt State Park and trophies will be awarded immediately following the race. The registration fee is $25 and runners will receive t-shirts. Start time for this flat, scenic course is 10 a.m., and check-in starts at 8:30 a.m. To register, visit www.runMSgne.org.

Walk MS registration opens at 8:30 a.m., with a mass walk start at 10 a.m. Walkers are encouraged to register early and fundraise to help New Englanders with MS and raise money to fund research to find a cure!

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 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 2.3 million people worldwide.

Join the movement at www.MSnewengland.org.