Bobby Mack, 28, of Raleigh, N.C., won the men’s Beat the Heat 5K race in Winston-Salem on July 20 for the fifth consecutive year. Mack’s next race will be the Magnificent Mile, the USATF NC Road Mile and Youth Mile Championship, which takes place in Raleigh on Sept. 15 at 2 p.m. The other confirmed perennial favorites, Marisa Ryan, Molly Nunn, Bobby Mack, Chad Newton and Scott Laws, are registered for the race as well. Newcomers Deb Ryan, Caitlyn Bullock and Dylan Ferris are also signed up to compete.
A big part of The Magnificent Mile’s appeal is not just the elite athletes, but also that it brings together runners of all ages and abilities. As exciting as the race component is, The Magnificent Mile is much more than that. At its core is a deep determination to unlock the mysteries of motor neuron disease. The race benefits the Spastic Paraplegia Foundation (SPF), which is a nonprofit, all-volunteer organization founded in 2000. Its primary mission is to find a cure for two upper motor neuron disorders, PLS and HSP, and to raise awareness of their devastating effects. Some 92 percent of its funds go to this mission. Since its inception, the foundation has awarded more than $2 million in research grants.
Motor neuron disease is a class of progressive neurological disorders that includes amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease), primary lateral sclerosis (PLS), and hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP). In these diseases, the motor neurons that control voluntary movement break down and die, which causes problems with walking, speech, swallowing, arm and hand movement and, in some cases, breathing. The cause of these disorders is unknown, and in 90 percent of cases there is no family history. Currently, there is no cure and treatment is symptomatic. For more information on The Magnificent Mile, please visit www.magmilerace.com.
