Wai Law, an accountant and ultramarathon runner from Bethpage, NY, will run 200 miles in 48 hours this Labor Day weekend to raise money and awareness for the Thomas Hartman Center for Parkinson’s Research. The center is dedicated to understanding the causes and symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.
This will be Law’s fourth charity run. He will attempt to complete a 4-mile loop 50 times in 48 hours from Friday, August 30 through Sunday, September 1. The start/finish line for each loop will be at The Green Street Eatery in Levittown, NY.
Law previously trekked across New York State from Buffalo to New York City in 2021, raising more than $40,000 — $22,555 for Parkinson’s Disease research at Stony Brook University and $17,500 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. In 2022, he completed a loop around the entire perimeter of Long Island, raising nearly $20,000 for Parkinson’s research and the Adolescent Medicine Fund for Excellence at Stony Brook's Department of Adolescent Medicine.
Law was first inspired to run for Parkinson’s research after his close friend Dennis Almodovar of Massapequa lost his father to Parkinson’s disease in 2017. Law described Parkinson’s as “a horrible disease,” stating: “We don’t have a cure for it, first of all. Second, it not only affects the patient but also their families.”
Almodovar emphasized the dual purpose of their efforts: “Obviously, we want to raise funds, but the other thing that is important is creating awareness.”
The Hartman Center was established in 2013 within the Department of Neurobiology and Behavior at Stony Brook University with support from the Thomas Hartman Foundation for Parkinson’s Disease Research and matched by the Simons Foundation. Each year, it awards grants to support innovative research projects aimed at advancing understanding of Parkinson’s disease and developing new therapeutic approaches.
“The support from the Hartman Center has helped jump-start a series of very innovative research projects," said Alfredo Fontanini, chair of the Department of Neurobiology and Behavior. "It brought new researchers into the field and sparked new collaborations between scientists at Stony Brook University."
Runners are invited to join Law or come cheer him on during his challenge.
Supporters can donate to Law's cause through contributions to the Thomas Hartman Center at Stony Brook University.
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