This July, Marc Ensign will join roughly 250 men and women, from all over the country, to cycle in the ninth annual Tri-State Trek. Marc and the other Trek cyclists will raise money and awareness for ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease); the neurodegenerative disease that affects more than 5,000 Americans each year.
This will be Marc’s second time participating in the event and he plans to ride 270 miles and all three days of the event. When asked why he is riding, Marc says, “I am riding in support of the individuals and families devastated by this disease…some of the bravest people I have ever met!”
The event expects to raise $500,000 for ALS research, and cyclists plan to spread awareness in the communities they ride through with their More Cowbell campaign. More Cowbell, the Trek’s call to arms since 2006, is a message to let people know that they don’t need to ride a bike to be a part of the effort.
The Tri-State Trek is produced by the ALS Therapy Development Institute (ALS TDI). Funds raised through the event support the research being done at the Institute, based in Cambridge, MA. Built by and for patients today, ALS TDI is the world’s largest ALS research center and the only non-profit biotechnology company with more than 30 professional scientists focused on a single disease indication. The mission of ALS TDI is to develop effective therapeutics that stop ALS as soon as possible.
“This bike ride is about raising money and bringing attention to the work being done to find effective treatments for those living with the disease today,” says Dr. Steve Perrin, CEO and Chief Scientific Officer at ALS TDI. “All of the riders, crew, and spectators that participate in the Trek play a role in accelerating the pace of research in our labs. At the same time, they remind those affected by this disease that they are not alone in their fight to end ALS.”
The ninth annual Tri-State Trek will take place this July 22nd-24th. To support Marc’s efforts, please visit http://tst.als.net/Page.aspx?profileId=1691. For more information on riding, volunteering, or just coming out to cheer, call 617-441-7211 or visit the Trek online at www.NeedMoreCowbell.org.
About the Tri-State Trek
The Tri-State Trek began in 2003, when 16 riders cycled from Newton, MA, to White Plains, NY, and raised about $30,000 for ALS research. In 2006, in an effort to bolster spectator support, the event launched its More Cowbell campaign. A knock-off on the pop-culture catch phrase originally delivered by Christopher Walken in a quasi-famous Saturday Night Live skit, cowbells have been used in cycling since the early 1900s, when Europeans would cheer on riders racing through the Pyrenees or up the Italian Alps.
For the cyclists, volunteers, and countless spectators and supporters, “More Cowbell!” is about more noise and more support for a disease and its patients that will not be silent. For more information on the Trek, or to learn how you can ride or volunteer or cheer visit www.NeedMoreCowbell.org.
About the ALS Therapy Development Institute (ALS TDI)
The mission of the ALS Therapy Development Institute (ALS TDI) is to develop effective therapeutics that stop ALS as soon as possible. Focused on meeting this urgent medical need, ALS TDI executes a robust discovery program, as well as a multi-pronged approach to validate potential therapeutics; including small molecules, protein biologics, gene therapies and cell-based constructs. Built by and for today’s patients, the Institute's unique, industrial-scale platform allows for the development and testing of dozens of potential therapeutics each year. A federally registered 501(c)3, ALS TDI was the world’s largest nonprofit biotechnology company, and is currently the world’s largest ALS research facility. Based out of a state of the art research facility in Cambridge, MA, a team of about 30 professional scientists, researchers and technicians focus on the single goal of curing ALS. For more information please visit www.ALS.net.
About ALS
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, Lou Gehrig’s disease) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that leads to paralysis, due to the death of motor neurons in the spinal cord and brain. There is no known cause, cure, or effective treatment for the disease. About 5,000 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with ALS each year; the incidence is similar to Multiple Sclerosis. However, with no effective treatment and an aggressive and rapid disease progression, the average patient survives only 2-5 years following their diagnosis. There are only about 30,000 US citizens with the disease at any given time. The worldwide population of ALS patients is estimated at 400,000.
