Ireland’s first Mud Run in aid of MS Ireland was recently launched by some of the country’s well-known celebrities. The fundraising event, proudly supported by Persil, will take place on Saturday 27th February 2010 at Mondello Park, Naas, Co. Kildare.

TV stars Amanda Brunker and Sinead Desmond kicked off the launch of Ireland’s muddiest event. Everyone from first-timers to serious athletes, male and female, are encouraged to join in the fun and get down and dirty for MS Ireland.

The Mud Run, which will be held at 11am on Saturday, 27th February 2010, will take place at Quest Events at Mondello Park, Co Kildare. The 5km course, normally used for off-road driving, will take participants through fields, mud pits, water holes and over a series of obstacles guaranteed to leave them muddy and smiling.

Registration for Mud Run is now open for those with a sense of adventure and fun by visiting www.ms-society.ie. Participants are asked to raise €150 before taking part in the event.

At the launch, David Allen of MS Ireland said: “We’re really excited to be holding the first ever Mud Run in Ireland. The event is all about having fun and is bound to capture people’s imaginations while raising much-needed funds for MS Ireland. All the money raised from event will go directly to help people and their families living with Multiple Sclerosis across the country.”

Dermot Walsh, Product Group Manager at Unilever said: “We at Persil are delighted to support the Mud Run in aid of MS Ireland. There is a great synergy between our brand message ‘Dirt is good’ and the nature of the event. We believe everyone enjoys an excuse to get messy or dirty. We’d encourage anyone with a sense of fun and adventure to sign up today, have some good clean fun and let Persil look after the laundry!”

Novelty prizes for the first male and female to finish will be presented on the day as well as prizes for the cleanest, dirtiest and person who raises the most money for MS Ireland. All participants will get a Mud Run t-shirt and goodie bag. Visit www.ms-society.ie for more information on Mud Run and to register.

Ends

Issued on behalf of MS Ireland by Walsh Public Relations.
For information contact:
Ciaran Curran, Walsh Public Relations. Tel.: (01) 661 3515 or 086 373 5874
Vivienne Gleeson, Walsh Public Relations. Tel.: (01) 661 3515 or 086 374 5511

NOTES TO EDITOR:
For someone living with Multiple Sclerosis, managing their day-to-day lives can be a challenge. Ensuring that people have adequate support and information is essential in helping them manage with MS.

MS Ireland provides a range of services and resources to the whole MS Community; those with MS, family members, employers and Health Professionals. The aim of MS Ireland is to provide timely, sensitive and accurate information and support to help address or minimise the impact Multiple Sclerosis may have.

These services and resources are provided at a local and national level to over 7,000 people. Locally, a team of 30 Regional workers provides one-to-one and group support and 41 voluntary branches provide opportunities to socialise, share experiences and avail of services. National services include the MS Ireland respite care centre in Rathgar and its telephone Helpline.

The biggest challenge facing MS Ireland in 2010 will be funding these services, so fundraising events like Mud Run are very important.