I'm supporting my friend, Jessica Martin, as she goes 'fundracin' for MS research. Join us by donating $10, $15 or whatever amount. 

As you donate, know that every dollar you donate will be DOUBLED! How? A private donor has offered to match - dollar for dollar - every donation the Team Endurance for MS raises up to $25,000(!) for a potential total raised of $50,000. We can't do it without your help. Will you help us bring encouragement to the world of MS and beyond? 

Jessica's Story (in her own words)

Want to know why doing something so crazy for such a good cause excites me? Here is goes.

I was blessed to play a sport I love at the collegiate level. Soccer was it for me. My life. My everything until one day it was taken from me. Bad genetics, anatomical anomalies, whatever it meant, my soccer career ended. Just like that. Fast forward two years, two hip surgeries and a knee surgery later I was lost. I was told I would never run again, never walk correctly, and I sure as heck would NEVER finish out my collegiate soccer career. I was mad. So mad I to this day cannot put how I felt into words. So I cried, then I rehabbed, cried some more, got angrier, and then I became determined. Determined to do whatever it was that my doctors told me that I could NOT do. Thanks to my athletic trainer who worked tirelessly by my side for that time brought me back. He kept my spirit alive when I didn't think I had any left. He got me back to the field for my senior year of collegiate soccer.

Why am I telling you all of this? I am telling you this because I believe that this experience is what has helped me get to and accomplish what I have in such a short time.

During my rehab time I took up mountain biking. Fell in love. Riding turned into racing, which introduction me to the world of triathlon. XTERRAs (off-road triathlon) was my thing, my niche. My burning desire to still prove my doctors wrong led me to two Regional Champion titles in 2011 & 2012, along with being ranked #1 in my age group in the US in 2011 with a 2nd place finish at the US XTERRA National Championships. In 2012 I was ranked 4th going into the championship. More injuries, concussions, and too many trips to the hospital to count I decided that my time as a competitive racer was over. I didn't touch my bike for two years I was so devastated.

I'm sure as you're reading this you're beginning to notice a trend...I'm either all in or not. There used to be no in between for me.

Enter Crossfit. Something that I do NOT do competitively, just for my sanity. I love the feeling of community that it offers. The feeling of satisfaction that I get after a killer workout. The friends that I have made. Who showed me that it's okay to do things just for fun. Those friends got me back to the trails...with my bike AND my running shoes. They showed me that whether I do 2 miles or 26 miles to just enjoy the view. Enjoy the wind in my face and the smell of my surroundings.

Most importantly they reinstilled belief in myself that I can do whatever I set out to do. No matter what anyone has to say about it. Because of that I am running a 50k...my hips may hurt and I may curse every one of those 31 miles, but I will complete it because I can.

Why Jessica Got Involved
Jessica's known Scott and Jo for a couple of years. She met them through the tri world and have been a part of the TRIFEST for MS. Since she doesn’t race anymore, she decided this year would be a good time to start knocking things off her bucket list, beginning with a 50k trail run.

Jessica's Dedication
Jessica dedicates her race to Jo Rampy, the Rampy MS Research Foundation's Chief Encouragement Officer (CEO). It’s because of her fight and will to combat this disease that inspires me to be better 

How You Can Help

• Donate. Any size donation will implement direct efforts to support MS research.
• Share my story. Tell your friends and family about what I, and Team Endurance for MS, are doing. Post this fundraiser to your Facebook and Twitter accounts.  
• Help me fundraise. Yes! You can join my fundraising team. Just click "fundraise for this cause" over there to your right. Together, you can help me reach my goal.

About MS
MS is a progressive and unpredictable disease of the central nervous system that disrupts communication between the brain and other parts of the body. The severity of the disease and its symptoms vary from person to person. The cause is unknown. There is no known cure--yet. 

About the 2015 Team Endurance for MS
People with MS endure and encourage us onward, despite circumstances. It's our aim to capture that spirit and share encouragement forward through endurance sports and adventures. No matter what brings us to the starting line, we cheer each other to the finish line - in sport, in health and in life. Team Endurance for MS is an endurance sports team organized by the Rampy MS Research Foundation. The 2015 Team Captain is professional triathlete Nick Waninger. 

About the Rampy MS Research Foundation
We bring encouragement to the world of MS and beyond through the power of endurance sports, community and research. You can help. Join us and help change lives to save lives.

Swim. Bike. Run. Encourage!