Participants Ready to Get Muddy at Muckfest MS in Grayslake
MuckFest MS, a fun-filled 5K mud run and obstacle course, will make its return to Illinois on Saturday, August 29, at the Lake County Fairgrounds (1060 E. Peterson Road) in Grayslake. At MuckFest MS, teams of runners slog through mud and overcome 19 outrageous obstacles that spin, swing, and fling them up, down, and sideways. The Illinois event is one of 11 MuckFests nationwide that raise critical funds for multiple sclerosis research, programs and services. More than 2,500 individuals are expected to participate this year.
Erica Montelo, of Chicago, participated in the inaugural MuckFest MS event in the Chicago area last summer, and is back for more in 2015. Last year, Erica formed a 30-person team with her co-workers from Microsoft to support her sister Kelly, who was diagnosed with progressive multiple sclerosis five years ago. They raised $20,000 in 2014 and are hoping to top those numbers this year.
"My sister means the world to me and getting all mucky and muddy to help raise money for the National MS Society is the least I can do," Erica said. "MuckFest has encouraged us to build relationships that are far more than just co-workers, but friends coming together, to share the love and support of your community."
Participants will not only receive the experience of a lifetime, but will be rewarded for their efforts with a free T-Shirt, beer (or soda) and photos from their mucky adventure. People of all ages and athletic abilities are encouraged to participate.
"I didn't think our team was going to get so big; I actually thought maybe 10. Then we started talking about it all over Facebook and people started signing up. I am very excited," said Molly Kramer, a newcomer to Muckfest, who was diagnosed with MS this past January. "I couldn't be happier with the support I have been getting."
MuckFest MS starts at 9 a.m., with waves occurring every half hour throughout the day. Spectators are welcome free of charge to cheer on their friends and family. There is also a Lil' Muckers play area for the kids to get muddy.
For more information, or to form a team, register as an individual or volunteer for this event, contact Brittany Nagy at 312.423.1161 or at Brittany.Nagy@nmss.org, or visit muckfestMS.com. Participants are encouraged to fundraise to create a world free of MS.
In total, MuckFest MS has raised more than $20 million nationally through the series of MuckFest MS events. Upcoming MuckFest MS events take place in the Twin Cities (September 19), San Francisco (October 10), Los Angeles (October 24) and Houston (November 14). Earlier this year, events took place in Boston, Denver, Philadelphia, New Jersey, Detroit and St. Louis.
Multiple Sclerosis is an unpredictable, often disabling disease that interrupts the flow of information in the central nervous system, which includes the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerve. The Greater Illinois Chapter mobilizes people and resources to drive research for a cure and to address the challenges of more than 20,000 individuals in Illinois affected by MS. For more information about the chapter, visit MSIllinois.org.
About the National MS Society:
The Society mobilizes people and resources to drive research for a cure and to address the challenges of everyone affected by MS. Over the past year, the Society invested $50.2 million to advance more than 380 research projects around the world in order to stop MS in its tracks, restore what has been lost and end MS forever. Through its comprehensive nation-wide network of programs and services, it also devoted $122.2 million to help more than one million people affected by MS connect to the people, information and resources needed to live their best lives.