Friday, October 30, 2015

Registration Fee Increases Saturday

The 9th Anniversary Challenge Walk MS Special Offer expires today. Don't miss this last chance to sign up for next year's Challenge Walk MS for just $99. The fee returns to its regular price of $125 on Saturday.

Save $26! Sign up now.


Thursday, October 29, 2015

Last Chance for a Tech Tee


Challenge Walk MS 2015 Long Sleeve Tech TeeThere are a few days left to purchase one of those stylish tech tees everyone was wearing during Challenge Walk MS weekend. They're lightweight, comfortable, and (in the ladies' version) come complete with those cozy thumb holes! 

Get one (or another one) for yourself, or pick one up for the person who showed you the most support in your Challenge Walk fundraising and training this year. The shirts are $25 each, plus $5 for shipping. 

Orders close on Sunday, so get yours in by October 31.

Click here to place your order. 

Monday, October 12, 2015

Because Mom Said So

“My daughter and I decided we wanted to have some sort of an adventure. I saw this and thought, ‘All right, this is it.’” That’s how Laura Chastain explained how she and her daughter Anna became two of this year’s Challenge Walk MS rookie participants. They named their team because Mom Said so”.



Anna carried her mom piggy-back style
when walking got to be too much.
To help raise the $1,500 fundraising minimum each needed to reach, Laura invited people to sign her shirt from Walk MS for $2 a signature. Most people gave more. “It was a hoot! Neighbors and relatives and people at the coffee shop donated, people at the neighborhood festival. Most people gave more than $2, and one person had a very emotional reaction so it became a bonding thing,” Laura said. She also used an online participant page to collect donations.
Laura trained for a year prior to
Challenge Walk MS weekend. She
said leg strengthening exercises
made a huge difference.

Laura, who used to participate in Bike MS: TOYOTA Best Dam Bike Tour but hasn’t been able to since 2011 as her MS advanced, also knew she needed to build up her stamina for the other challenge of Challenge Walk MS – covering 30-50 miles across Door County in three days. “I challenged myself to see if I could gain some leg strength and walk further. Over a year I went from walking ¾ of a mile to walking two to three miles at a time several times a week; twice, I walked five miles! I asked my trainer for leg strengthening ideas and that made a huge difference.”

The training helped Laura cover approximately seven miles each of the three days, and when walking became too much, 19-year-old Anna stepped in, literally carrying her mom piggy-back style during some portions of the route. For their tenacity and tenderness, the mom-and-daughter duo was selected from among the 50 first-time event participants to be recognized as the Challenge Walk MS 2015 Rookies of the Year.



Tuesday, October 6, 2015

Thank Yous, Tech Tees and Photos Galore

Thank You,
Challenge Walkers!

You took up the fight and accepted the challenge … going from “I Can Do This” to “I Did It!” by covering up to 50 miles and raising hundreds of thousands of dollars. Already you’ve pushed the eight-year total past the $2.5 million mark. Keep at it!

Sign Up for 2016
Next year’s Challenge Walk MS will be September 16-18. Take advantage of the 9th anniversary special offer: register for $99 (a $26 savings) when you sign up by October 30, 2015. Click here to register NOW.
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Your Opinion Matters
Click here to take the Challenge Walk MS 2015 survey and let us know what you liked the most and what can be improved. And remember, planning for the 10th anniversary event in 2017 is beginning. Contact Nichole Shaffer at the Chapter (nichole.shaffer@nmss.org or 262-369-4416) if you would like to help or have ideas to share.


Send Us Your Selfies
Cameras were clicking throughout Challenge Walk weekend. Find those photos on the Wisconsin Chapter’s Flickr page (you can download them for free). Have some pictures to share? Email them to info.wisMS@nmss.org and we’ll post them for you. Sharing on your own Facebook page? Use #ChallengeWalkMSWI. Extra special thanks to volunteer photographers John Kalson, Bettina Heller, and Daryl, Dan and Casandra Holen for keeping everyone smiling throughout the weekend and capturing some fantastic shots.


Challenge Walk MS 2015 Long Sleeve Tech TeeAnd, Yes, Tech Tees Are Still Available!
Wish you would have ordered one of those stylish long-sleeve gray tech tees that everyone was wearing during Challenge Walk MS weekend -- or have you received so many compliments on yours that you want to order one for a friend or family member? You still can! Click here to place your order. The shirts are $25 each, plus $5 for shipping. Hurry though -- they'll only be available for a limited time.