Lead The Race For Alzheimer’s Research at Cardiff Half
Runners taking on the 13.1 miles of the Cardiff University Cardiff Half Marathon on Sunday October 4th this year are being urged to lace up their trainers to support life-changing research into dementia.
General entries have sold out for Wales’ largest mass-participation event, but those who want to join 27,500 runners on October 4th can still secure their place by signing up to Team Alzheimer’s Society and helping raise money to fund pioneering studies that could transform lives.
Runners can join the team for just £10 with a pledge to raise £250, all of which could help fund ground-breaking work being undertaken at the UK Dementia Research Institute (UK DRI) at Cardiff University – just a stone’s throw away from the Cardiff Half finish line.
Alzheimer’s Society is a founding funder of The UK DRI – a pioneering centre for studies that will help us to better understand how our genes and immune system are connected to dementia.
Professor Julie Williams – a world leader in the genetics of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia – is heading up the Cardiff studies. She and her team are currently looking at the function of genes involved in Alzheimer’s and other diseases such as Huntington’s and Parkinson’s, with a view to identifying molecular targets that will lead to new drugs that can prevent or treat dementia.
Alzheimer’s Society runners will be supported by a dedicated team who’ll help them get race-day ready. They will receive an Alzheimer’s Society running top, a support pack with fundraising help and materials and will be cheered all the way to the finish line on Sunday 4th October. Participants who have already booked their place on the start line can still support the cause by raising as much money as possible.
£250 can bring some much-needed DNA duplicator to researchers. This extraordinary liquid can stitch fragments of DNA together into long strands, allowing researchers to make the most of these precious samples.
A donation of £20 can provide a lab with 125 microscope slides, essential for spotting the tiny changes that happen in the brain in dementia.
Of the top ten causes of death, dementia is the only one that we can’t cure, prevent or even slow down, so join the race, and help beat dementia.
To run for Alzheimer’s Society, click HERE.
