Runners Aim to Raise $60k at Philadelphia Marathon

“I Run to Stop MS” Team Will Help Create a World Free of Multiple Sclerosis

Two years ago, Paul Goldstone ran the New York Marathon in honor of his father, Robert, and 11,000 other people living with multiple sclerosis in the Greater Delaware Valley.

Today, the Bryn Mawr entrepreneur is coordinating more than 60 runners and a dizzying number of races as the local organizer of “I Run to Stop MS,” a fundraiser for the National MS Society.

Goldstone will run the Philadelphia Marathon on November 22 with 34 teammates as part of the Karma Striders team. Another 26 runners are volunteering at the event or have competed in other races as part of the team.

Their goal is to raise $60,000 to fund research, programs and services for local people living with MS.

“The National MS Society has a great tradition of support, and MS still needs more awareness and more research,” Goldstone said. “A lot more people are affected by MS than even realize it.”

With $35,000 still to go, the Karma Striders will hold a fundraiser at North Bowl in Northern Liberties on Thursday, November 12, starting at 5:30 p.m. Featuring one-of-a-kind retro décor and ambience, North Bowl is a truly special venue, Goldstone said.

“In addition to state-of-the-art stereo and bowling technology and a fun menu, North Bowl shares Karma Striders’ common passion to give back to the community,” Goldstone said. “Everybody in the world’s invited to our bash.”

In 2008, Goldstone started recruiting others to run the Philadelphia Marathon with him. Last year, he had 34 teammates. This year, there are 62. The diverse group of runners includes people from across the nation. Participants are young and old, of all ethnicities, professions and experience levels. Some are running their first marathons and others are elite athletes competing in races such as the Ironman Lake Placid triathlon.

While Goldstone had personal connections with some of his early recruits, many of the more recent additions are learning about the team on the Internet or at other races. (A team roster is provided below.)

Alison Felty of West Chester found “I Run to Stop MS” on Facebook. A competitive runner in high school and college, Felty is inspired by her mother, who was diagnosed with MS in the early 1980s.

“My mother is probably the strongest person I know,” she said. “I thought this would be a great way to get me motivated enough to actually complete my goal of running a marathon while helping to raise money for a cause that is close to my heart.”

Note to editors: Please visit http://main.nationalMSsociety.org/irun or the “I Run to Stop MS” tent at the Philadelphia Marathon to meet team members and learn more about MS.

Karma Striders Team Roster
Ryan Anderson, Philadelphia, PA
John Ballentine, Philadelphia, PA
Jeffrey Bauer, Philadelphia, PA
Patia Braithwaite, Massapequa, NY
Jacqueline Brown, Stone Ridge, NY
Laura Brown, Philadelphia, PA
Michael Courtney, Alexandria, VA
Denis Darragh, Orefield, PA
Coleen Dever, Newtown Square, PA
Roger Dickerman, Philadelphia, PA
Lindsay Docherty, Narberth, PA
Lucille East, Mcguire AFB, NJ
Alison Felty, West Chester, PA
Marta Gancarz, Woodlynne, NJ
Melanie Glenn, Philadelphia, PA
Paul Goldstone, Bryn Mawr, PA
Amy Haavik-MacKinnon, Philadelphia, PA
Diane Hauser, Malvern, PA
Velda Johnson, Tampa, FL
Lafrenchie Jones, Philadelphia, PA
Melissa Klein, Havertown, PA
Ross MacKinnon, Philadelphia, PA
Erich Maerz, Chalfont, PA
Kevin Maguire, Philadelphia, PA
Sheri Makransky, Las Vegas, NV
Lisa Malseed, Bryn Mawr, PA
Aida Mancini, Philadelphia, PA
JJ Marcano, Ambler, PA
Michele McVeigh, Philadelphia, PA
Lisa Miller, Morgantown, PA
Ken Modica, North Wales, PA
Heather Mozzone, Chesterbrook, PA
Courtney Murphy, Bensalem, PA
Thomas Nace, Harleysville, PA
Robert Nelson, Philadelphia, PA
Emily Olson, Philadelphia, PA
Jennifer Owens, Bloomsburg, PA
Ian Pawasarat, Holtwood, PA
Marissa Pellegrino, Philadelphia PA
Nancy Perrino, Monroeville, NJ
Ralph Perrino, Monroeville, NJ
Matthew Plona, Norristown, PA
Jacquelyn Powers, Philadelphia, PA
Adam Prendergast, Philadelphia, PA
Sarah Race, Radnor, PA
Benjamen Ramos, Cherry Hill, NJ
John Robson, Philadelphia, PA
Elizabeth Ryland, Lansdale, PA
Pejvak Soltany, Philadelphia, PA
Erin Trumbower, Harrisburg, PA

About MS

Every hour in the United States, someone is newly diagnosed with MS, an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system. Symptoms range from numbness and tingling to blindness and paralysis.

About the National MS Society

MS stops people from moving. The National MS Society exists to make sure it doesn’t. We do this through our home office and 50-state network of chapters by funding more MS research and providing more services than any other volunteer-driven health organization.