Unstoppable against ALS brings together more than 1,000 athletes

Unstoppable against ALS brought together more than 1,000 athletes on Saturday, August 5.

The event which took place in Torre del Mar over 24 hours created an epicentre in the fight against ALS.

ALS patients and their families joined more than 1,000 sportsmen and women who carried out all kinds of challenges over 24 hours in an original event called “Sports Demonstration” which began on Friday, August 4, and continued until Saturday, August 5.

There were incredible challenges such as 24h “non-stop” running, cycling, kayaking, swimming and triathlon.

Hundreds of athletes brought challenges of all kinds and of different magnitudes, there were runners, cyclists, triathletes, swimmers, and even a beach volleyball tournament.

But, it was not just the individual challenges that created the party atmosphere, participants also dressed in pink and created a pink tide, determined to fight together for ALS sufferers and help in the search for a cure.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis known as ALS, is a nervous system disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. ALS causes loss of muscle control. The disease gets worse over time.

ALS is often called Lou Gehrig’s disease after the baseball player who was diagnosed with it. The exact cause of the disease is still not known. A small number of cases are inherited.

ALS often begins with muscle twitching and weakness in an arm or leg, trouble swallowing or slurred speech. Eventually, ALS affects the control of the muscles needed to move, speak, eat and breathe. There is no cure for this fatal disease.

ALS often starts in the hands, feet, arms or legs. Then it spreads to other parts of the body. Muscles get weaker as more nerve cells die. This eventually affects chewing, swallowing, speaking and breathing.

There’s generally no pain in the early stages of ALS. Pain also is not common in the later stages. ALS doesn’t usually affect bladder control. It also usually doesn’t affect the senses, including the ability to taste, smell, touch and hear.