Maryland men to run 100 miles to Ocean City to raise money for Parkinson's disease

    CENTREVILLE, Maryland (WBAL) -- Mile by mile, Nick Manis and his team are training to run 100 miles in memory of his uncle, affectionately known as "Big B."

"My uncle, Brian Adam, passed away in December 2023 after a 10-year battle with Parkinson's," Manis told 11 News. "He was also diagnosed with MSA (multiple system atrophy) as well. Just two diseases that kind of tore at him over a 10-year period and just really broke him down."

Manis, the president of Modus Solutions LLC, seeks to honor his uncle by raising money to support Parkinson's research. He started with a marathon and a swim across the Severn River in 2020 before his uncle died, but this year, he wanted to do something bigger.

"None of us have done anything like this before, so we don't really know what we don't know," said Jeff Begin, a member of Team Big B. "We've been preparing for it for the better part of a year now, so hopefully, our bodies can keep up."

Teammates Begin and L.J. Urie also knew and loved Big B and are joining Manis on the journey. They will start Friday to mark World Parkinson's Day, leaving from Centreville at noon and arriving in Ocean City at noon Saturday — it's a full 24 hours of running and walking. The goal is to raise $100,000 or more for the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's research.

"We know a lot of people that have fought this disease and are still fighting this disease, so that's the No. 1 goal there," Manis told 11 News.

It's a goal that comes at a cost, a 100-mile run that may have some rain along the way, but the team says it's worth it to honor Big B.

"It's going to be a challenge, but we know he's going to be looking down on us and supporting us along the way," Urie told 11 News.

Manis and his team are right on the brink of reaching their fundraising goal. For more information on the run and how you can donate, visit the following website.