The eighth annual FIESTA 5K/15K Challenge recently raised $30,000 for the Emory ALS Center. Seven hundred runners joined in the race at the Forsyth Conference Center at Lanier Technical College in Cumming, Ga. on May 3.

May is ALS Awareness Month and the nonprofit organization, Cure for ALS, hosts the FIESTA 5k/15k Challenge each year on the first Saturday in May to begin the month long advocacy campaign. ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) is a progressive neuromuscular disease that can strike anyone without warning.  It most commonly affects people between the ages of 40 and 70. The disease takes away the ability to move, speak, swallow, and ultimately breathe. The average life span after diagnosis is only 2-5 years. There are approximately 30,000 people in the U.S. living with ALS, with more than 500 in Georgia.

In addition to the 5K and 15K races, a Fun Run was also held with 40 participants, young and old. Music and big sombreros added to the Fiesta atmosphere for a morning of great family fun.

Sponsors for the event included Control Southern, Inc., Star 94/790 The Zone, HisGrip Homecare, Community & Southern Bank, Georgia Highlands Medical Services, Penta Ultra Purified Water, MECO, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Mellow Mushroom, and more.