Clinicians whose work Muscular Dystrophy UK supports are stepping up their fundraising and training before the charity’s iconic Oxford Town and Gown 10k race on Sunday.

The ‘running group’ of scientists, who work at the Oxford MDUK Neuromuscular Centre, look forward to the event as a chance to meet MDUK charity staff and also people who live with muscle-wasting conditions, as well as taking part in the 10k run.

Many of them have run in it for several years. The Town and Gown 10k takes runners through the closed roads of Oxford city centre and past a number of iconic sights. After last year’s virtual event, they are looking forward to this year’s in-person event and seeing everyone again in the race village before they set off.

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Corinne Betts, project manager for the MDUK Oxford Neuromuscular Centre and for the STRONG Group (Professor Laurent Servais) is supporting the group of scientists, and inviting them all to get involved in a series of fundraising events.

About 14 people from the MDUK ONMC consortium are running, and a further 30 from The Weatherall Institute - another Oxford University department.

Ms Betts said: “I hold the MDUK charity very close to my heart.

“I was very privileged to be supported by the charity during my PhD and when I was a Post-Doc.”

For more visit townandgown10k.com/oxford.

Part of Corinne’s work is for Professor Matthew Woods, Director of the MDUK Oxford Neuromuscular Centre and Professor of Neuroscience at the University of Oxford. He has spent the past 23 years at Oxford researching effective treatments for Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Professor Wood’s lab teams have taken part in the Oxford Town and Gown 10k every year for the past decade.

He said, “The relationship with MDUK has been wonderful for many reasons. Trying to find effective treatments for Duchenne muscular dystrophy often involves pursuing clever new ideas, and that is where MDUK’s funding has been brilliant.

“As researchers, we cannot be detached from the people who have muscle-wasting conditions and that’s another reason why it’s essential to be involved with MDUK. The connection with families and individuals living with these conditions is what motivates us to get up and work hard each day.

“The training and race day itself also provide really good opportunities for the different lab teams to spend time together. This is not easily arranged and therefore very valuable.”

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Registrations for Oxford Town and Gown have reached 2,500. MDUK Event Manager, Jessie Keighley, said: “We are now so excited about the event in two weeks’ time.

"It will seem truly wonderful to be running this first post-lockdown mass participation event again. I can’t wait to see everyone on the day.”

For more visit townandgown10k.com/oxford.