NEW YORK, NY – January 17, 2018 – The temperatures outside may still be in the single digits, but the Children’s Tumor Foundation is looking forward to warmer days ahead, with the announcement of an exciting new 5K race tour called the “I Know a Fighter 5K” to raise awareness and funds for the genetic disorder neurofibromatosis, or NF, which causes tumors to grow on nerves throughout the body. The I Know a Fighter 5Ks will take place in 10 cities across the United States starting this spring. This family-friend event will include a 5K (3.1 mile) race and a finish line festival.
The dates and cities for the I Know a Fighter 5K are:
April 15 New York, NY
April 21 Boston, MA
April 28 Philadelphia, PA
May 6 Atlanta, GA
May 19 Fort Worth, TX
May 26 Little Rock, AR
June 2 Chicago, IL
June 10 Denver, CO
June 16 San Francisco, CA
October 20 Los Angeles, CA
The Foundation’s “I Know a Fighter” initiative draws attention to the inspirational stories of those living with neurofibromatosis, also known as NF, who are fighters in every sense of the word. NF affects 1 in 3,000 people of all births, meaning that over 2.5 million people worldwide life with NF. All populations, races, ethnicities and genders are equally affected. NF can cause blindness, deafness, bone abnormalities, disfigurement, learning disabilities, disabling pain, and cancer. There is no cure yet, but promising clinical trials are in progress.
The I Know a Fighter 5K aims to raise awareness of this under-recognized disease, and to raise critical funds needed to bring NF research over the finish line for a cure. The I Know a Fighter initiative was first launched in 2015 during NF Awareness Month, which is observed every year in May, and expands this year to the running community, encouraging participation of all ages and experience levels. Each 5K event concludes with a family-friendly festival, with food, games and other fun activities in keeping with the I Know a Fighter theme.
For more information about the I Know a Fighter 5K tour and to register, please visit ctf.org/ikaf5k.
For additional information about the Children’s Tumor Foundation and neurofibromatosis, please visit ctf.org.
ABOUT THE CHILDREN’S TUMOR FOUNDATION:
The Children’s Tumor Foundation is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization dedicated to funding and driving innovative research that will result in effective treatments for the millions of people worldwide living with neurofibromatosis (NF), a term for three distinct disorders: NF1, NF2, and schwannomatosis. NF causes tumors to grow on nerves throughout the body and may lead to blindness, deafness, bone abnormalities, disfigurement, learning disabilities, disabling pain, and cancer. NF affects 1 in every 3,000 births across all populations equally. There is no cure yet – but the Children’s Tumor Foundation mission of driving research, expanding knowledge, and advancing care for the NF community fosters our vision of one day ending NF. For more information, please visit www.ctf.org.
CONTACT:
Rebecca Harris
Public Relations Manager
Children’s Tumor Foundation
646-738-8563
rharris@ctf.org
