CAMBRIDGE, MA – ALS Therapy Development Institute announced that its 15th annual Tri-State Trek charity cycling event will take place between Friday, June 23 and Sunday, June 25. The Tri-State Trek is a three-day, 270-mile bicycle ride from Boston, MA to Greenwich, CT with all proceeds benefiting the ALS Therapy Development Institute in Cambridge, MA. Last year, the Tri-State Trek had more than 250 participants and raised over $800,000 for ALS research. This year, the Tri-State Trek has already raised over $100,000, with pharmaceutical company, MT Pharma America, committing as a lead sponsor. The Tri-State Trek is a fully supported event where riders cycle a marked course at their own pace, with rest stops every 15-20 miles. The first day’s course is 100 miles; the second day’s route is 90 miles; and the last day’s total is 80 miles. Participants start from Boston College in Chestnut Hill, MA, overnight in college dormitories at both the University of Connecticut in Storrs and then the University of New Haven, and finish at Roger Sherman Baldwin Park in Greenwich, CT.
The event offers cyclists the option to ride one, two, or three days of the event, as well as one less challenging course of 9 miles which takes in the final leg of the Trek, ending in Roger Sherman Park. The 9-mile ride is named after Greenwich Sgt., Roger Petrone who lost his battle with ALS in 2014.
One of this year’s riders, Andrew Niblock, is an avid cyclist and was recently diagnosed with ALS. He says, “In the months since my diagnosis I have become more hopeful, not less. The support of my friends and family in the Greenwich community and far beyond has been overwhelming. Cycling was a love before my diagnosis, and I look forward to participating in this important event by getting on the bike and going for a ride. This is a fight worth fighting.”
The event has raised more than $8 million for the ALS Therapy Development Institute, the world’s first and largest nonprofit biotech focused 100 percent on ALS drug development. The Institute has tested more potential treatments for ALS than any other research lab, thanks to support from fundraising events like the Tri-State Trek.
“Now in its 15th season, the Trek proves year after year to be an incredibly inspiring, yet sobering event as we are reminded of the important work we have done and all of the vital work left to do in order to discover and develop effective treatments to those living with ALS” says Steve Perrin, PhD, CEO and CSO of the ALS Therapy Development Institute. “The Tri-State Trek brings scientists, people with ALS and their families and friends together to raise essential funds to accelerate our urgent mission to end ALS.”
For more information and to register for this year’s Tri-State Trek on June 23-25, visit www.TriStateTrek.com or call 617-441-7200.
About the ALS Therapy Development Institute
The ALS Therapy Development Institute (ALS TDI) and its scientists actively discover and develop treatments for ALS. The Institute is the world’s first and largest nonprofit biotech focused 100 percent on ALS research. Led by people with ALS and drug development experts, ALS TDI understands the urgent need to slow and stop this horrible disease. Based in Cambridge, MA, the Institute has served as one of the leaders in sharing data and information with academic and ALS research organizations, people with ALS and their families. For more information, visit www.als.net.
Media Contact: Colette O’Neill, ALS Therapy Development Institute, 617-441-7269, coneill@als.net