Lace up your running shoes and mark Saturday, March 2 on the calendar to take part in the End MS 5K.
For former Poplar Bluff cross country runner and Delta High School coach Bailey Davidson, Multiple Sclerosis hits close to home.
Davidson’s step-brother, Zach Brown, was diagnosed with MS about three years ago.
“Being a former cross country runner and coach now I always wanted to put on a 5K,” he said. “So we decided the funds should go to the Multiple Sclerosis Society.”
The End MS 5K is set to begin at 9 a.m. from the Three Rivers College parking lot in front of the Bess Activity Center.
“I think it’s important to bring awareness because one, there is no cure,” Davidson said. “The more money that can go to (the National Multiple Sclerosis Society), the more money that can be used to find a cure or even better treatments.”
Davidson said while the treatments his step-brother receives are extremely good, he also knows they are very expensive.
Brown, who is 25 and in his last year of pharmaceutical school at the St. Louis College of Pharmacy, receives treatments in the city.
End MS 5K registration forms are available at the TRC Welcome Center, all Sterling Bank locations and the Missouri Running Company. Participants can also register beginning at 8 a.m. race day.
While the T-shirt deadline has passed, Davidson said a number of shirts will be available race day on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Pre-registration forms can be sent to Brenda Brown, senior vice president at Sterling Bank and Davidson’s mother.
The End MS 5K run/walk is $20 to participate. A one-mile race will also take place as soon as the last 5K finisher crosses the finish line. The cost for the one-mile race is $15 or $25 for both races.
Overall male and female finishers in the 5K and one mile will receive medals as well as the top three in each age group.
Davidson said the course will be similar to other runs that take place on the campus of TRC, but with a twist.
“Being a runner I added a loop instead of just an out and back type of thing,” he said. “We will actually go through the college and hills in the middle. It’s a little different, but it’s not complicated.”
With March being MS Awareness Month, Davidson said the color orange will be featured on the T-shirts and awards.
“Not only is this for MS, it’s also good to get out and be active in your community and get out and be active for your body,” Davidson said. “Come out to our local college and do something good for the MS foundation and community.”
MS is a long-lasting disease that can affect the brain, spinal cord and the optic nerves in eyes. It can cause problems with vision, balance, muscle control and other basic body functions.
There is currently no cure for MS, which affects around 2.5 million people globally and 400,000 people in the U.S., according to the Multiple Sclerosis News Today website.
While treatments are constantly improving and MS patients have a better quality of life than ever before, more research into the disease, future treatments and a possible cure is still needed.
The event is sponsored by Sterling Bank.