ADDING MULTIMEDIA Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) Partners with the Empire State Building and the New York Road Runners (NYRR) for 34th Annual Empire State Building Run-Up, Tuesday February 1st
For the first time in the 34-year history of the Empire State Building
Run-Up, the New York Road Runners (NYRR) has partnered with a nonprofit
as the event’s Presenting Sponsor. The Multiple Myeloma Research
Foundation (MMRF), as the Benefiting Charity, is proud to be associated
with two of the most iconic entities in all of New York, the NYRR and
the Empire State Building. The mission of the MMRF, one of the nation’s
leading cancer research foundations, is to relentlessly pursue
innovative means that accelerate the development of next-generation
treatments for patients with multiple myeloma, an incurable blood cancer.
One hundred runners, including 16 corporate teams, competed in the first ever charity wave of the Empire State Building Run-Up Powered by the MMRF. The runners raised more than $250,000 toward multiple myeloma research (Photo: Business Wire).
The Empire State Building Run-Up is a prestigious and exclusive event.
Previously, the field of 300 participants has been filled at the sole
discretion of the NYRR by invitation only. This year the MMRF will fill
a charity wave of an additional 100 spots with MMRF PowerTeam members.
The MMRF wave will kick off the day’s events, with the starting horn
sounding at 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday, February 1, 2011. MMRF Founder and
CEO, Kathy Giusti, a myeloma patient, will hold the finish line tape. In
honor of the MMRF PowerTeam, the Empire State Building’s iconic lights
will shine in orange that evening.
Members of the MMRF PowerTeam tap into their power to make the
difference in the search for a cure for multiple myeloma. Each runner
has committed to raise a minimum of $2500, and funds raised by this
inaugural MMRF team for the Empire State Building Run-Up will exceed
$250,000. To make a donation in honor of the MMRF PowerTeam, please
visit: http://www.themmrf.org/empiredonate.
Funds raised by the MMRF have accomplished outstanding milestone
achievements such as helping to bring four new myeloma drugs to market,
more than doubling the patient life expectancy post-diagnosis around the
globe, opening 30 clinical trials 60% faster than the industry standard
in oncology, and sequencing the multiple myeloma genome. Yet, the five
year survival rate for myeloma remains one of the lowest of all cancers.
The four treatments the MMRF helped bring to market for myeloma are now
being investigated for in an additional 30 cancers. The funds raised by
the MMRF are critical in continuing to advance the progress being made.
MMRF Corporate Run-Up Challenge
A highlight of the MMRF charity wave will be the MMRF Corporate Run-Up
Challenge. Corporate teams will compete for bragging rights and two
impressive trophies: The NYC Triumph Cup (fastest team) and The Spirit
of Giving Cup (most funds raised). Winners will return to the 2012 team
to defend their titles.
Sixteen teams of three participants have joined the competition: Bain &
Company, Barclays, Celgene Corporation, Citi, GlaxcoSmithKelin, Goldman
Sachs, Jeffries, JP Morgan-Chase, MasterCard, Millennium
Pharmaceuticals, Modena Capital, Morgan Stanley, PepsiCo, Royal Bank of
Canada, SAC Capital, and UBS.
“We are overwhelmed by the incredibly generous support of the MMRF
Corporate Run-Up Challenge team members,” states Alicia O’Neill, MMRF
Endurance Events Program Director. “These participants have been truly
inspired by the competition – both from a race standpoint and from a
fundraising perspective. They want to win and they want to support our
foundation, which is on the cutting edge of cancer research.”
About Multiple Myeloma
Multiple myeloma is a type of blood cancer that originates in plasma
cells. It is the most common type of white blood cell cancer and the
second most common blood cancer. In 2010, more than 20,000 adults in the
United States were estimated to be diagnosed with multiple myeloma and
nearly 11,000 people were predicted to die from the disease.
About the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF)
The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) was established in 1998
as a 501(c)3 non-profit organization by twin sisters Karen Andrews and
Kathy Giusti, soon after Kathy’s diagnosis with multiple myeloma. The
mission of the MMRF is to relentlessly pursue innovative means that
accelerate the development of next-generation multiple myeloma
treatments to extend the lives of patients and lead to a cure. As the
world’s number-one private funder of multiple myeloma research, the MMRF
has raised over $150 million since its inception to fund nearly 120
laboratories worldwide, including 60 new compounds and approaches in
clinical trials and pre-clinical studies and has facilitated 30 clinical
trials through its affiliate organization, the Multiple Myeloma Research
Consortium (MMRC). As exceptional stewards of its donor’s investments,
the MMRF consistently surpasses its peers in fiscal responsibility. For
more information about the MMRF, please visit: www.themmrf.org.
About the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) Endurance
Events Program
The MMRF Endurance Program offers runners, cyclists and triathletes
access to coveted entries for world class events like the Empire State
Building Run-Up, the ING New York City Marathon and the NYC Half
Marathon. Other events include the TD Bank Five Boro Bike Tour, the
Nautica New York City Triathlon, Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon, and the
Falmouth Road Race. In 2010, the MMRF Endurance Events program raised
$1.4 million. Treatments developed by the MMRF are now being
investigated for use in more than 30 other cancers. For more information
on the MMRF Endurance Events Program, please visit: http://themmrf.org/events.
Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available:http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6594946&lang=en
