“Why don’t we have our own walks and sassy tee-shirts?,” reader Juli recently asked. It’s a great question — there’s a plethora of fundraising runs and walks for every other condition or illness, so why not migraine? Miles for Migraine, an organization I recently learned about, is exactly that, a race dedicated to raising awareness of migraine and headache disorders.
Annual Bay Area Run
Next Saturday, September 14, Miles for Migraine will host the sixth annual San Francisco 5K/10K run and two-mile walk in Golden Gate Park. If you or your loved ones live in the Bay Area, please participate in this fundraising and awareness-raising event! Check the Miles for Migraine Facebook page today for a code that will save you 20% off the registration fee — hurry, though, the code expires tonight.
Nationwide: Miles for Migraine in Your Town
Don’t live in the Bay Area? Miles for Migraine has just launched Miles for Migraine in Your Town in a bid to spread the awareness nationwide. With this program, anyone anywhere in the US can use their participation in any scheduled race to raise awareness about migraine and headache disorders. Alternatively, they will work with volunteers who want to organize races specifically for raising awareness and money for migraine and headache disorders.
In addition to providing fundraising support, Miles for Migraine in Your Town will provide participants with virtual training resources and “cool swag,” including T-shirts to wear in the run. Money raised will be donated to a local headache clinic or, if there’s no local clinic, into expanding dedicated Miles for Migraine races across the country.
Learn about the program in Announcing Miles for Migraine in Your Town and their detailed FAQs.
The first Miles for Migraine in Your Town is underway for the Philadelphia Marathon on November 16th and 17th. Details are available at M4M in Your Town – Philadelphia.
Background
I had the pleasure of learning about this exciting nonprofit in a call with the race director. It started with the bright idea of Eileen Jones, a migraineur and nurse, who joined the Alliance for Headache Disorders Advocacy’s 2007 visit to Congress to request funding for migraine research. After legislative aides told AHDA representatives that they needed to raise awareness about migraine and drum up support from the general public before funding would increase, Eileen decided a race would be a good way to do just that.
The first Miles for Migraine race was held in San Francisco in 2008 with the goal of eventually expanding nationwide. With the launch of Miles for Migraine in Your Town, they’re in the process of spreading awareness throughout the country. Please support their tremendous effort, either by participating in a run yourself or encouraging your loved ones to do so. With increased awareness comes less stigma for migraine an all headache disorders.
