Event Information
About March for Marrow Los Angeles - Long Beach
It's about RUNNING for BETTER TREATMENTS and a CURE for bone marrow failure diseases!
This year we are offering the opportunity for all runners to form a team and add to the competitive spirit that our patients show every day as they live with bone marrow failure diseases.
We hope that you will take advantage of the opportunity to:
1. Form a TEAM
2. Set a GOAL
3. Contact FRIENDS and FAMILY
4. FUNd-raise for RESEARCH, and
5. Run with us for BETTER TREATMENTS and a CURE!
We are grateful for the team making and fundraising functions that RaceWire provides. Please make use of them. Contact us at march4marrowla@gmail.com if you have any problems – or text us at 512-589-3735. Use the subject M4MLA.
Thank you in advance for your interest in our cause!
Our Course: Running along the Long Beach Shoreline
This will be our sixth annual 5K run at Shoreline Village. The course is flat, fast and ideal for beating your personal best. We’ll run south along the beautiful Long Beach Shoreline and back.
As one of our fans, Mia Hamm, says, "This course is ideal for the new or seasoned runner. It is flat, fast and perfect for beating your personal best." When she is in town she joins us to run in memory of her brother and mentor, Garrett J. Hamm.
Awards
Prizes for the top runners, male and female, and the top Master's runners (40 years and older) for the March for Marrow LA 5K Run are provided by Brooks Running Shoes, NIKE, and Runners High.
Participant medals are available for everyone.
T-Shirts
The first 100 runners to register will receive our unique dry-fit t-shirt (unisex sizing).
Packet Pick-Up
Packet pick-up will be Friday, April 27, 2018, 3:00-6:00 pm, at RUNNERS HIGH, 5338 E. 2nd St, Long Beach. Come in to meet the staff at Runner’s High, browse through their great selection of shoes and gear and pick up your packet and number.
Race-Day Registration
Saturday, April 28, 2018, 6:30 am - 7:45 am, at Shoreline Village, 429 Shoreline Village Drive, next to Parker’s Lighthouse.
Parking at or near Shoreline Village
Up to 2 hours - $1 with validation with a minimum purchase from Shoreline Village merchants.
More than 2 hours - $2 per 20 minutes/$8 maximum
Beach Parking at Shoreline Village:
Metered parking for roughly $6
Please do not park in spaces marked “For Boat Owners”
Parking in Downtown Long Beach:
Parking structures are available for $5.
Ride the Passport, a free shuttle bus service, to Shoreline Village:
Schedule for the Passport Bus line can be found lbtransit.com/Services/Passport.aspx
Rainy Day Policy
Rain or shine we will walk and run. But in case of thunder and lightning, we will not. The event will be not re-scheduled, but we hope you understand there will be no refunds either. Your donation is tax deductible at the rate of $22.00 per $30.00 spent with us at the Aplastic Anemia MDS International Foundation.
Do you want to Run & Walk to find a Cure?
Available only at www.AAMDS.org/Walk. If you would like to walk with a patient as part of their team, please register at www.AAMDS.org/LA-walk.
Post 5K Run Activities
After your run along the Long Beach Shoreline Marina and back to Shoreline Village, please join us in front of the Funnel House for the Awards Ceremony where we will post your times and serve a simple breakfast. The March for Marrow committee has also prepared an exciting Silent Auction for your bidding. The Auction will feature gift certificates to Long Beach and Los Angeles experiences, themed baskets, autographed memorabilia and children’s and adult’s gifts and services.
“Be the Match” will be on site to register potential donors for the National Marrow Donor Program. A simple cheek swab is all it takes for the chance to give someone the gift of life. Bone marrow and stem cell transplants are currently the only cure for bone marrow failure diseases. Asians for Miracle Marrow Matches will also be with us to share the stories of minority and mixed-race patients in need of matches.
Shoreline Village offers an array of shops and restaurants for your shopping pleasure. Plan to spend a few extra hours ambling along the boardwalk after your workout.
OUR CAUSE
March for Marrow events, which began in 2010, were organized by a group of patients and families in Los Angeles that are living with bone marrow failure diseases or who have lost a loved one to these rare diseases. Bone marrow failure diseases affect the production of healthy red and white blood cells and platelets:
• Red blood cells carry oxygen to tissues and organs
• White blood cells help fight disease and infections
• Platelets help blood clot to stop bleeding
If the bone marrow "factory" breaks down and fails to keep up with the body’s need for healthy blood cells, the result is called bone marrow failure. Aplastic anemia, myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) are bone marrow failure diseases.
Today there are several treatments to prolong and improve the quality of life for patient. March for Marrow events seek to educate the public about the important work that the Aplastic Anemia & MDS International Foundation does to inform and educate patients, family members and medical professionals about these diseases, their symptoms and resources available to help them. Please visit www.AAMDS.org.
The March for Marrow 5K Runs and Walks, which take place every year in different communities across the country, are also fundraising and community building events where patients and their supporters come together to compete at raising as much money as they can for the patient and family services offered free-of-charge by the Foundation and for research, raising about $300,000 annually.
We would like to double or even triple that investment in the next five years. YOU can help us do that - we know that - and we THANK YOU!