Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy:

Sponsor a race participant.

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Want to join the
PPMD family?
Please register here.

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WHAT IS DUCHENNE MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY?
Duchenne muscular dystrophy ( Duchenne ) is a fatal progressive disorder that causes loss of muscle function and independence. Occurring primarily in boys, it is also the most common life-limiting genetic disorder diagnosed during early childhood.

In the United States alone, an estimated 15,000 young men are living with Duchenne.

There is no known cure.

To learn more about Duchenne, please visit the Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy website.

HISTORY OF RUN FOR OUR SONS
In 2005 Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy (PPMD) hatched a plan to recruit 20 runners for the Walt Disney World® Marathon. They wound up with a remarkable 86-member team, which raised $186,000 for Duchenne muscular dystrophy research.

Since then, Run For Our Sons has blossomed into an extraordinary community fundraising event, drawing hundreds of individuals and families and raising over a million dollars.

And along the way, they have a great time doing it.

Pick Your Own Pace and Keep on Going

My favorite runner is Prefontaine. He was controversial because he was a world-class runner, who believed that it didn’t take talent to win. He said that the reason no one could ever beat him was simply because he could withstand more pain. That was it. If a race came down to his heart vs. someone else’s talent, he would always win.

His coach and others insisted it was talent and training. They tried to convince him that if he ran his guts out the whole way he would never have enough to go the distance. Prefontaine believed that if he wasn’t giving his all the whole time he wasn’t running a truthful race.

Although he did learn eventually to pace himself, he never really changed. That was who he was until the end.

That is who we are – parents, grandparents and friends running this weekend. We will be successful because we can withstand the pain to see it through. And that applies to running the marathon and living with Duchenne.

We put aside our own fear, pain, and discomfort for our children. And for our beliefs.