The 6th annual Rock ‘n’ Roll Las Vegas Marathon & ½ Marathon, created to fundraise for the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA) will take place on Sunday, November 16, 2014, and a fundraising team from Dallas is already preparing their runners and walkers for the tour. Team Challenge has already trained nearly 12,000 runners, walkers, triathletes, and cyclists, in exchange for fundraising.
The event organized by the CCFA is meant to fund breakthrough research for cures for both Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, diseases that affect 1 in 200 Americans, including 150,000 children, as well as public and professional education, and patient support services all over the country.
However, the Rock ‘n’ Roll Las Vegas Marathon & ½ Marathon to Benefit the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America is also meant to be a fun event for everyone involved. Taking place on the Las Vegas Strip, it includes live bands at every mile, hundreds of runners dressed as Elvis, a run-through wedding chapel, and kicks off with a two-day Health & Fitness Expo at the Sands Convention Center.
“Our partnership with CCFA at this event has increased awareness of Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Signing up to run or walk with Team Challenge allows the Foundation to reach new heights in its awareness-building and fundraising efforts,” said the Dave Hussa, vice-president of Charity Partnerships for Rock ‘n’ Roll Las Vegas. “The nighttime running event has become one of the most popular races within the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series. Runners from across the country will take over the Las Vegas strip to support Team Challenge and CCFA.”
The CCFA Team Challenge is a renowned endurance training program that has worked with the Rock ‘n’ Roll Las Vegas event for seven years. The team provides runners, walkers, triathletes, and cyclists personalized training with professional run and walk coaches in local markets, in exchange for fundraising. The program also includes tips on topics like nutrition, hydration, and injury prevention.
“Team Challenge prepares participants to run or walk a half marathon while helping to raise necessary funds for research, education, and support for the 1.4 million Americans suffering from Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis,” explained the Team Challenge national director, Craig Comins. “Our partnership with Rock ‘n’ Roll at this amazing night race has greatly increased awareness of these diseases. Continued involvement with this event allows the Foundation to keep fighting to raise awareness and critical research dollars.”
The CCFA’s North Texas will also organize a series of free and informational meetings leading up to an event in Dallas to help runners and walkers prepare, starting on Saturday, August 2nd at 10:00 a.m. at the Central Market. On Wednesday, August 6th at 7:00 p.m., the meeting will be at the Market Street, and on Monday, August 11th, the meeting will be also begin at 7:00 p.m. at the REI Store. In addition to the local meetings, CCFA’s national headquarters will host a series of webinars with free training tips and fundraising resources.