In 2011, Jane and Jack Armistead experienced shock, sadness, and anger when a neurologist diagnosed Jane with Parkinson’s disease. She was one of 60,000 people diagnosed with it each year. The progressive disease affects movement, balance, and coordination.
Jane had been a busy Kindermusik teacher in Cookeville, TN., who exercised, hiked, gardened, played tennis and traveled. After the initial shock wore off, she determined “to meet the challenge head-on,” recalls Jack. “She would find ways not only to preserve her own cognitive and motor skills for as long as possible but also to support the national research effort to cure Parkinson’s.”
With the help of doctors and physical therapists, she designed a weekly exercise program to complement her medications, including swimming, boxing, yoga, and gardening and walking whenever possible.
For the national research cause, Jane and Jack decided to organize a fundraiser for the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research. Initially, they organized a charity tea and a quilt show but those raised only a modest amount of money.
Having moved to Athens to be near grandchildren, the couple switched gears and in 2015 organized a 5K run/1-mile walk dubbed “Outpace Parkinson’s.” Several friends and acquaintances agreed to serve on the organizing committee for the first race, which raised $11,000.
The race was such a success that the 10-member committee decided to stay together and in the ensuing years the race has averaged around $14,000 annually. Typically, about 200 people participate, including some with Parkinson’s. Now in its 10th year, Outpace Parkinson’s has raised and donated more than $250,000 to the Fox Foundation.
“Our engagement with the Fox Foundation not only kept us abreast of new research results but helped us to maintain a positive attitude as Jane’s illness progressed,” Jack explains.
Jane died in 2023, and now Jack has decided 2025 is his last year to chair the event.
“I’ve decided to relinquish the leadership role, hoping someone younger and with new ideas will take over,” he says. “I hope someone will step forth while there is still plenty of time to learn the ropes before next year. The learning curve would not be steep because I’m leaving a record of each step in the planning process.”
The 2025 Outpace Parkinson’s 5k run/1-mile walk will be held April 5 at Sandy Creek Park. Jack Armistead can be reached at jackprof@icloud.com.
