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ADDING MULTIMEDIA Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) Partners with the Empire State Building and the New York Road Runners (NYRR) for 34th Annual Empire State Building Run-Up, Tuesday February 1st

One hundred runners, including 16 corporate teams, competed in the first ever charity wave of the Empire State Building Run-Up Powered by the MMRF. The runners raised more than $250,000 toward multiple myeloma research (Photo: Business Wire).

The Empire State Building Run-Up is a prestigious and exclusive event. Previously, the field of 300 participants has been filled at the sole discretion of the NYRR by invitation only. This year the MMRF will fill a charity wave of an additional 100 spots with MMRF PowerTeam members. The MMRF wave will kick off the day's events, with the starting horn sounding at 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday, February 1, 2011. MMRF Founder and CEO, Kathy Giusti, a myeloma patient, will hold the finish line tape. In honor of the MMRF PowerTeam, the Empire State Building's iconic lights will shine in orange that evening.

Members of the MMRF PowerTeam tap into their power to make the difference in the search for a cure for multiple myeloma. Each runner has committed to raise a minimum of $2500, and funds raised by this inaugural MMRF team for the Empire State Building Run-Up will exceed $250,000. To make a donation in honor of the MMRF PowerTeam, please visit: http://www.themmrf.org/empiredonate.

Funds raised by the MMRF have accomplished outstanding milestone achievements such as helping to bring four new myeloma drugs to market, more than doubling the patient life expectancy post-diagnosis around the globe, opening 30 clinical trials 60% faster than the industry standard in oncology, and sequencing the multiple myeloma genome. Yet, the five year survival rate for myeloma remains one of the lowest of all cancers. The four treatments the MMRF helped bring to market for myeloma are now being investigated for in an additional 30 cancers. The funds raised by the MMRF are critical in continuing to advance the progress being made.

MMRF Corporate Run-Up Challenge

A highlight of the MMRF charity wave will be the MMRF Corporate Run-Up Challenge. Corporate teams will compete for bragging rights and two impressive trophies: The NYC Triumph Cup (fastest team) and The Spirit of Giving Cup (most funds raised). Winners will return to the 2012 team to defend their titles.

Sixteen teams of three participants have joined the competition: Bain & Company, Barclays, Celgene Corporation, Citi, GlaxcoSmithKelin, Goldman Sachs, Jeffries, JP Morgan-Chase, MasterCard, Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Modena Capital, Morgan Stanley, PepsiCo, Royal Bank of Canada, SAC Capital, and UBS.

"We are overwhelmed by the incredibly generous support of the MMRF Corporate Run-Up Challenge team members," states Alicia O'Neill, MMRF Endurance Events Program Director. "These participants have been truly inspired by the competition - both from a race standpoint and from a fundraising perspective. They want to win and they want to support our foundation, which is on the cutting edge of cancer research."

About Multiple Myeloma

Multiple myeloma is a type of blood cancer that originates in plasma cells. It is the most common type of white blood cell cancer and the second most common blood cancer. In 2010, more than 20,000 adults in the United States were estimated to be diagnosed with multiple myeloma and nearly 11,000 people were predicted to die from the disease.

About the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF)

The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) was established in 1998 as a 501(c)3 non-profit organization by twin sisters Karen Andrews and Kathy Giusti, soon after Kathy's diagnosis with multiple myeloma. The mission of the MMRF is to relentlessly pursue innovative means that accelerate the development of next-generation multiple myeloma treatments to extend the lives of patients and lead to a cure. As the world's number-one private funder of multiple myeloma research, the MMRF has raised over $150 million since its inception to fund nearly 120 laboratories worldwide, including 60 new compounds and approaches in clinical trials and pre-clinical studies and has facilitated 30 clinical trials through its affiliate organization, the Multiple Myeloma Research Consortium (MMRC). As exceptional stewards of its donor's investments, the MMRF consistently surpasses its peers in fiscal responsibility. For more information about the MMRF, please visit: www.themmrf.org.

About the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) Endurance Events Program

The MMRF Endurance Program offers runners, cyclists and triathletes access to coveted entries for world class events like the Empire State Building Run-Up, the ING New York City Marathon and the NYC Half Marathon. Other events include the TD Bank Five Boro Bike Tour, the Nautica New York City Triathlon, Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon, and the Falmouth Road Race. In 2010, the MMRF Endurance Events program raised $1.4 million. Treatments developed by the MMRF are now being investigated for use in more than 30 other cancers. For more information on the MMRF Endurance Events Program, please visit: http://themmrf.org/events.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6594946&lang=en

For MMRF
Interviews, information and race day photos:
Terri Clevenger, 203-856-4326
tclevenger@continuumhealthcom.com