Though the 2^nd annual Reeve Run & Roll 5K is still a month away, Rex Marco, MD has already begun plotting his route through Houston.

"I’m really excited,” says Dr. Marco, Chief Medical Ambassador for the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation. “The Reeve Run & Roll is so family and community oriented. It’s a great way for people to be supportive of this endeavor, and do something that’s safe, fun and inspirational.”

The virtual event, taking place between September 25 and October 3, will unite families across the country and spotlight the critical need for spinal cord injury research.

It will be the first Reeve Foundation event for Dr. Marco, a nationally renowned spinal surgeon and musculoskeletal oncologist who sustained a C4 injury in 2019. Last year, Dr. Marco launched The Rex Marco, M.D., Fund of the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation to help accelerate research and improve the quality of life for individuals and families impacted by spinal cord injuries.

"The foundation is such a huge avenue for finding meaning and purpose, for helping others and finding a community,” he says.

“That makes this event all the more special,” Dr. Marco says.

The coronavirus pandemic prompted the first ever Reeve Run & Roll in 2020. The virtual race replaced canceled Team Reeve marathons, offering a safe way to support spinal cord injury research. The community responded with infectious enthusiasm: more than 860 people from as far as Singapore and Australia helped raise $315,000; an astounding 92% of participants had never before participated in a Team Reeve event.

“A big part of Team Reeve’s mission is to build community,” says Team Reeve Manager Kelly Lamb. “The Reeve Run & Roll gave so many people the chance to be involved without having to travel to a race that we thought, ‘Why not keep it going?’”

For more information, and to sign up for the Reeve Run & Roll 5K, visit the Reeve Foundation.