Ranch race raises Lou Gehrig’s disease awareness
Star-Bulletin staff
A race around Kualoa Ranch will be held in October to raise awareness of the debilitating effects of Lou Gehrig's disease.

"Vi's Adventure Trek and Run" is being sponsored by Hilo athlete Vi Jones-Medusky and watercolorist Peggy Chun, who both have amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (also known as Lou Gehrig's disease).

ALS progressively destroys nerve cells controlling muscles, ultimately paralyzing voluntary movement, a release said.

Registration deadline is Sept. 18, and the race is limited to 280 participants. The event will be held Oct. 18 at Kualoa Ranch. Check-in is at 7:18 a.m.; the race starts at 8:18 a.m. The $18 entry fee includes a T-shirt featuring Chun's artwork.

For more information, call the Muscular Dystrophy Association ALS Division at 593-4454 or e-mail Jennifer Li at jli@mdausa.org.

Jones-Medusky, a Hilo resident, has finished several marathons in Honolulu, Boston, New York, Los Angeles, Maui and Portland, Ore., and completed three Ironman triathlons. She was diagnosed with ALS in 2004 but still participates in the relay portion of the Haleakala Run to the Sun.

Chun, fully paralyzed by ALS, is known for sharing her love of the islands and life in often whimsical watercolors.

While she is dependent on a ventilator, Chun continues to paint.