Hundreds embark on five-day bike ride to end MS

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Upper Midwest Chapter will host Bike MS: TRAM Ride, starting in Alexandria on Sunday, July 22 and running through Friday, July 27. More than 850 riders will participate in the five-day adventure around Minnesota and pedal toward a world without multiple sclerosis (MS).

The Ride Across Minnesota (TRAM) is a fully supported, week-long ride covering about 250 miles through northern and central Minnesota. Overnight sites include Bemidji, Walker, Park Rapids, Wadena and Fergus Falls.

The Chapter anticipates the event will raise more than $820,000 to support programs, services and cutting-edge research for the 17,000 people living with MS in Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota and counties in western Wisconsin and Nebraska.

MS, a disease of the central nervous system, interrupts the flow of information within the brain and body. Symptoms range from numbness and tingling to blindness and paralysis. MS affects more than 400,000 people in the U.S. and 2.1 million worldwide.

The National MS Society is dedicated to achieving a world free of MS and has made a commitment to raise $250 million for research by 2015. It represents 17,000 people with MS in Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and several counties in western Wisconsin and Nebraska. For more information, visit nationalMSsociety.org or 1-800-FIGHT-MS (344-4867).

Tags: multiple sclerosis, variety, ms, bike, fundraiser, events