Katalyst Events Names Beneficiaries of Inaugural Safeway Fast & Furious Festival
Race Directors Chris McCrary and Kevin Magna, co-founders of Katalyst Events, LLC, announced that they have partnered with three Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) foundations, Augie’s Quest, ALS TDI, and The Blazeman Foundation, to share in a portion of the proceeds from the inaugural Safeway Fast & Furious Festival powered by Hill Physicians Medical Group. The all day health and wellness festival will take place Sunday, August 7, 2011 along Main Street in Pleasanton, CA.
Pleasanton, CA, June 24, 2011 --(PR.com)-- Safeway Fast & Furious Festival names beneficiaries.
Three ALS charities have been selected to receive race registration proceeds.
Race Directors Chris McCrary and Kevin Magna, co-founders of Katalyst Events, LLC, announced that they have partnered with three Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) foundations, Augie’s Quest, ALS TDI, and The Blazeman Foundation, to share in a portion of the proceeds from the inaugural Safeway Fast & Furious Festival powered by Hill Physicians Medical Group. The all day health and wellness festival will take place Sunday, August 7, 2011 along Main Street in Pleasanton, CA.
Why ALS? In 2010, McCrary’s friend, Pete Zucker, an avid cyclist and triathlete and member of the Wells Fargo Cycling team and Danville-based Forward Motion Race Club, was diagnosed with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. McCrary says, “Pete’s fight has provided us with the inspiration and motivation to devote our efforts to a cause much bigger than the sport of running or cycling. We are committed to raising funds for and awareness about ALS. We are essentially no closer to a cure than we were more than 70 years ago when Lou Gehrig fought the disease.”
Since his diagnosis, Zucker, a husband, business owner and father of two boys has become one of thousands of PALS (people with ALS) hoping for a cure or effective treatment. A great competitor, one of Zucker’s most satisfying athletic accomplishments was completing the 70.3 World Championships in Florida back in 2006. Now, he uses a walker to get around the house.
“We enjoy each day, we continue to laugh, we continue to have fun together; we are just a little more limited. We’re still a loving family and we’re dealing with the cards that were dealt to us,” says Zucker’s wife, Monica.
ALS is a disease of the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord that control voluntary muscle movement. According to the University of California, San Francisco, about 5,000 people are diagnosed with ALS each year. ALS is a progressive degeneration of nerve cells that control muscle movements. ALS is unpreventable, untreatable and incurable.
About The Safeway Fast & Furious Festival
The inaugural Safeway Fast & Furious Festival Powered by Hill Physicians Medical Group will take place Sunday, August 7 from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. along Main Street in Pleasanton. The event is an all-day wellness and lifestyle festival designed to bring the world of cycling and running together in one place while highlighting the charm of downtown Pleasanton.
The day starts at 8:00 a.m. with a 5K Run/Walk. Runners, walkers, strollers and dogs are expected to take to the streets of downtown in this run that will include prizes and awards for the top three finishers in each age group division. A 1-mile open follows the 5K. Dubbed the “Mile of Truth,” the 1-mile open will feature elite runners competing for a portion of $1,500 in cash and prizes during this turbo-charged race that starts under the arch on Main Street.
Criterium-style bicycle races are scheduled to start at 10:30 a.m. and last throughout the day and into the evening. The festival concludes with an all-out, under the lights, high-octane men’s and women’s professional bike race with the winners taking home the inaugural Fast & Furious championship title and their share of $10,000 in cash and prizes.
In addition, a free kids’ run is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. and free kids’ bike races will take place at 3:00 p.m. All kids will receive a finisher’s medal.
Racers and spectators are encouraged to visit the health and wellness expo, make a Safeway “bike blender smoothie” and stop by downtown merchants for Fast & Furious deals.
About Augie’s Quest
Augustine (Augie) Nieto, a prominent leader in the nation’s fitness industry for nearly three decades, received a diagnosis ALS in March 2005. Since then, he and his wife, Lynne, have supported the Muscular Dystrophy Association’s (MDA) ALS division, helping it to become the world leader among voluntary agencies in fighting ALS, offering the most comprehensive range of services, including a national network of clinics. Augie’s Quest has raised more than $28 million in six years, with 100 percent of all donations going to ALS TDI. Augie serves as the Chairman of the Board for ALS TDI. For more information, visit http://augiesquest.org.
About ALS TDI
The mission of the ALS Therapy Development Institute (ALS TDI) is to develop effective therapeutics that stop ALS as soon as possible. Built by and for patients, the Institute is the world's largest ALS research center and the only nonprofit biotechnology company with more than 30 professional scientists focused on a single disease indication. In addition, the Cambridge, Massachusetts based research Institute collaborates with leaders in both academia and industry. For more information, visit http://www.als.net.
About The Blazeman Foundation
The Blazeman Foundation’s mission is to raise awareness about ALS by leveraging the energy, commitment and compassion of the multi-sport community and to raise necessary funds to be directed into cutting-edge scientific research to find treatments and an eventual cure for ALS.
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Three ALS charities have been selected to receive race registration proceeds.
Race Directors Chris McCrary and Kevin Magna, co-founders of Katalyst Events, LLC, announced that they have partnered with three Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) foundations, Augie’s Quest, ALS TDI, and The Blazeman Foundation, to share in a portion of the proceeds from the inaugural Safeway Fast & Furious Festival powered by Hill Physicians Medical Group. The all day health and wellness festival will take place Sunday, August 7, 2011 along Main Street in Pleasanton, CA.
Why ALS? In 2010, McCrary’s friend, Pete Zucker, an avid cyclist and triathlete and member of the Wells Fargo Cycling team and Danville-based Forward Motion Race Club, was diagnosed with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. McCrary says, “Pete’s fight has provided us with the inspiration and motivation to devote our efforts to a cause much bigger than the sport of running or cycling. We are committed to raising funds for and awareness about ALS. We are essentially no closer to a cure than we were more than 70 years ago when Lou Gehrig fought the disease.”
Since his diagnosis, Zucker, a husband, business owner and father of two boys has become one of thousands of PALS (people with ALS) hoping for a cure or effective treatment. A great competitor, one of Zucker’s most satisfying athletic accomplishments was completing the 70.3 World Championships in Florida back in 2006. Now, he uses a walker to get around the house.
“We enjoy each day, we continue to laugh, we continue to have fun together; we are just a little more limited. We’re still a loving family and we’re dealing with the cards that were dealt to us,” says Zucker’s wife, Monica.
ALS is a disease of the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord that control voluntary muscle movement. According to the University of California, San Francisco, about 5,000 people are diagnosed with ALS each year. ALS is a progressive degeneration of nerve cells that control muscle movements. ALS is unpreventable, untreatable and incurable.
About The Safeway Fast & Furious Festival
The inaugural Safeway Fast & Furious Festival Powered by Hill Physicians Medical Group will take place Sunday, August 7 from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. along Main Street in Pleasanton. The event is an all-day wellness and lifestyle festival designed to bring the world of cycling and running together in one place while highlighting the charm of downtown Pleasanton.
The day starts at 8:00 a.m. with a 5K Run/Walk. Runners, walkers, strollers and dogs are expected to take to the streets of downtown in this run that will include prizes and awards for the top three finishers in each age group division. A 1-mile open follows the 5K. Dubbed the “Mile of Truth,” the 1-mile open will feature elite runners competing for a portion of $1,500 in cash and prizes during this turbo-charged race that starts under the arch on Main Street.
Criterium-style bicycle races are scheduled to start at 10:30 a.m. and last throughout the day and into the evening. The festival concludes with an all-out, under the lights, high-octane men’s and women’s professional bike race with the winners taking home the inaugural Fast & Furious championship title and their share of $10,000 in cash and prizes.
In addition, a free kids’ run is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. and free kids’ bike races will take place at 3:00 p.m. All kids will receive a finisher’s medal.
Racers and spectators are encouraged to visit the health and wellness expo, make a Safeway “bike blender smoothie” and stop by downtown merchants for Fast & Furious deals.
About Augie’s Quest
Augustine (Augie) Nieto, a prominent leader in the nation’s fitness industry for nearly three decades, received a diagnosis ALS in March 2005. Since then, he and his wife, Lynne, have supported the Muscular Dystrophy Association’s (MDA) ALS division, helping it to become the world leader among voluntary agencies in fighting ALS, offering the most comprehensive range of services, including a national network of clinics. Augie’s Quest has raised more than $28 million in six years, with 100 percent of all donations going to ALS TDI. Augie serves as the Chairman of the Board for ALS TDI. For more information, visit http://augiesquest.org.
About ALS TDI
The mission of the ALS Therapy Development Institute (ALS TDI) is to develop effective therapeutics that stop ALS as soon as possible. Built by and for patients, the Institute is the world's largest ALS research center and the only nonprofit biotechnology company with more than 30 professional scientists focused on a single disease indication. In addition, the Cambridge, Massachusetts based research Institute collaborates with leaders in both academia and industry. For more information, visit http://www.als.net.
About The Blazeman Foundation
The Blazeman Foundation’s mission is to raise awareness about ALS by leveraging the energy, commitment and compassion of the multi-sport community and to raise necessary funds to be directed into cutting-edge scientific research to find treatments and an eventual cure for ALS.
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Contact
Katalyst Events
Janet Fazio
925.407.3130
www.fastandfuriouspleasanton.com
Janet Fazio
925.407.3130
www.fastandfuriouspleasanton.com
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