I have just registered for the May50K for the fifth consecutive year, and I have to confess – I really love this event. Here are my reasons why.
- The May50K is our single most important fundraising event for MS research, raising millions of dollars to drive the work of Australia’s world-class researchers who are absolutely determined to find cures and improve care for everyone living with MS.
- The May50K rallies the MS community and our many supporters in a way few events can. Social media is flooded with the May50K participants sharing their journeys, their challenges, their stories. I am running for my cousin Clare, who has primary progressive MS, and my niece’s partner, Joseph, diagnosed at the age of 21, who has relapsing remitting MS. They are my inspiration – every step of the way.
- The May50K is for everyone – and you don’t have to run. You can walk, run, roll, cycle, swim or sponsor. One participant even did 50 hours on a Space Hopper! Anything goes – and you can tailor your distance too. This year, I am aiming for 150km and bookmarking the May50K with two half marathons. The first is the Sydney Half Marathon on May 4, and the second is the Arctic Midnight Half Marathon on World MS Day, May 30, in Greenland. It’s been on my bucket list for years and now I have the chance to do it.
- The May50K is a personal challenge. I run. Well, mostly I hobble. I have psoriatic arthritis which makes running even short distances a challenge. But I know the challenges faced by people living with MS are immeasurably harder. That’s why I challenge myself, knowing that every step I take and every dollar I raise will boost research that makes great differences in the lives of everyone living with MS.
- The research is romping ahead! There is so much happening. Advances are coming thick and fast, whether it’s promising new treatments, clinical trials for repairing and protecting myelin and nerves, new BTK inhibitors (a type of medication) on the horizon, work on ultra-early detection, vaccines or anti-viral treatments for the Epstein-Barr virus, and much, much more. The dollars you raise through the May50K make an immense difference.
And there’s one more reason I love the May50K – it’s all about movement. Movement is medicine. As Associate Professor Yvonne Learmonth – a physiotherapist with expertise in MS and Adam Browne – an exercise physiologist who specialises in MS rehabilitation – have said, physical activity is associated with meaningful outcomes for people with MS. These range from the cellular level right through to effects on quality of life. Find out more on our website here.
And if you are not able to participate in the May50K, but are looking for someone to sponsor, you can back my challenge here.
Thank you for backing the May50K. Without you, it wouldn’t happen and critical research simply won’t get done. See you on the trails!
