The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) is holding the 6th annual Race for Research at Cameron Run Regional Park in Alexandria, VA on Sunday, November 9th. This highly anticipated walk/run is one of nine national events with an overall effort to raise awareness and funds for research for multiple myeloma, an incurable blood cancer. The walk/run is fun for the entire family.

The Race for Research has a $25 pre-registration fee and $30 day-of fee for adults, and no registration fee for children under ten. Pre-registered runners may pick up their bib number, t-shirt and goody bag on race day from 7:30 to 8:45 a.m. A pre- event program will feature Dr. Ashraf Badros, Associate Professor of Medicine with University of Maryland School of Medicine.

Awards will be presented to the overall male and female winners as well as to the top three men/women in the following age divisions: 14 & younger, 15-19, 20-24, 25-29, 30-34, 35-39, 40- 44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, 60-64, 65-69, 70 & older.

Participant fundraising is the key to MMRF's success and most direct way to impact the search for a cure for multiple myeloma. All money raised through the MMRF Race for Research goes directly to fund the most promising myeloma research.

The goal for the DC walk/run is to raise $150,000 through 700 participants and corporate sponsorship. Multiple Myeloma is an incurable cancer of the plasma cells, important cells of the immune system that produce and release antibodies to help fight infection. Malignant plasma cells produce abnormal immunoglobulin making myeloma patients susceptible to infection. It is the second most common blood cancer, representing 1% of all cancers and 2% of all cancer deaths. This year, 14,400 Americans will be diagnosed with multiple myeloma and 11,200 will die of the disease.

About The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation

The MMRF was founded in 1998 by identical twin sisters Kathy Giusti and Karen Andrews shortly following Kathy's diagnosis with multiple myeloma. The mission of the MMRF is to urgently and aggressively fund research that will lead to the development of new treatments for multiple myeloma.

As the world's number-one funder of multiple myeloma research, the MMRF has raised over $102 million to fund 70 laboratories worldwide. The payback on our investment has been significant, as four new treatments -- Thalomid, Velcade, Revlimid, and Doxil -- were approved in four years alone when it usually takes nearly 10 years to bring a single treatment to market. These breakthrough treatments are extending the lives of myeloma patients worldwide and are now being explored in a range of other cancers, including ovarian cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer, leukemia, and Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The MMRF is one of the most effective and efficient organizations of its kind, as evidenced by our exceptional accreditations. In 2007, nearly 93% of every dollar of revenue raised was directed toward myeloma research and related educational programs. The MMRF's approach, with a focus on speed, innovation, and results, is widely recognized across the medical and scientific communities, as well as by several prominent publications, as an optimal model to accelerate medical research and drug development across various cancers and diseases.

For additional information on the MMRF DC Race for Research or register online, visit mmrfrace.org/2008/dc.html , where a fundraising team and fundraising page can also be created