Greetings, and Happy 2019! I hope this post finds you healthy and happy in the New Year. It’s been an exciting year already here at Running for Nana.
First though, we’ve been reflecting with immense gratitude on 2018, when we launched the first ever Achieving Cures Together team at the Colfax Marathon Weekend in Denver, CO! We had 16 amazing individuals “Run for Nana” in the 5K or the half marathon, plus many more who came to show their support in the fight against C. difficile. It was a weekend we will never forget and we can’t say thank you enough to everyone who was involved. Nana would be floored that so many people have joined this adventure and she would be thrilled at the progress we’re supporting to end C. difficile.
Since 2016, we’ve partnered with Achieving Cures Together (ACT) and Dr. Alexander Khoruts from the University of Minnesota’s Microbiota Therapeutics Program (MTP) to fight back against the C. difficile infection. Thanks to the incredible generosity of so many, we’ve now raised over $50,000 for the MTP and ACT since we started. Because of philanthropic support:
- Over 590 patients with recurrent C. diff have been successfully treated through the fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) procedure that could not be cured with standard antibiotics – all at no cost to the patient (140 patients received the capsule FMT and 450 had a colonoscopic treatment)
- The MTP was able to bring Dr. Matthew Hamilton, PhD, back to their team. Dr. Hamilton previously worked with the MTP to develop capsules of the fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) to fight C. diff.
- In 2018, the team started providing the capsules to the VA to carry out a multi-center, placebo-controlled trial to treat C. diff. The hope is to make the treatment widely available to similar patients across the country, and to continue to explore uses for the treatment beyond C. diff.
- The MTP currently has 6 additional research trials planned for 2019.
- Achieving Cures Together (ACT) has also been cited in 6 research publications about this breakthrough treatment.
This progress would not have been possible without each of you and we cannot thank you enough for being part of this journey that continues to grow.
So…what about 2019?!
Needless to say, we’re ready to roll into 2019…and we’re hoping you will join us! Are you still trying to think of (or stick to) a great New Year’s Resolution? Well, we might just have the perfect thing for you…
Today we are officially launching the Second Annual Achieving Cures Together team to “Run for Nana”! The 2019 Colfax Marathon Weekend will take place on May 18th-19th, 2019. And the best part? We are delighted to invite YOU to join our team – in whatever way is most fun for you.
Now, before you get nervous, don’t worry. You don’t have to run a full marathon. You don’t even have to run a half marathon. In fact, there are 5 races to choose from. An overview of each is below, and you can click the name of the race to learn more:
|
Race |
Miles | The Good Stuff |
|
3.1 |
Stroller, walker, and dog friendly |
|
|
10 |
Picks up on the last 10 miles of the marathon course |
|
|
varies |
A 5-person relay, with legs ranging from 4 to 6.5 miles |
|
|
13.1 |
Runs through the Denver Zoo, a working fire station, and beautiful east Denver streets |
|
| Marathon | 26.2 |
Runs through Mile High Stadium, around Sloan’s Lake, and through stunning west Denver |
In whatever way you feel most comfortable, we would love to have you as part of this very fun race weekend.
To register, simply click this link and choose the race that suits you best! Once in the registration page, just click “yes” when the screen looks like the photo below. Select Achieving Cures Together (ACT) from the drop down menu and you’ll be on the team! Once you sign up, you’ll get an email from Emily with more details. Also, if you register before 11:59 pm on January 30th, you’ll get the early price! Thank you so much for considering being a part of our Team!!
Now, all that said, we completely understand if running isn’t your thing. If you still want to “Run for Nana” and help us fight C. diff, please visit the ACT Fundraising Page here: https://www.achievingcures.com/colfaxmarathon!
Our goal is to raise $20,000 through our Second Annual Colfax Race Weekend. We’re aiming high because we know that together, we can make a big difference for people currently facing or that will face C. difficile.
More to come soon on this exciting adventure. Until then, please feel free to “follow” the blog to be updated whenever there’s a new post!
Running for Nana 