Wrapping Up the 2025 TBF Race Series: A Record-Breaking Year!

As September comes to a close, so does the 2025 TBF Race Series, a season full of purpose and perseverance. Over the past couple weekends, our final four events brought together communities across the country to honor lives touched by brain aneurysms.

A Year of Impact

Each year, the race series grows in both size and significance. TBF partners with families all over the country to honor both survivors and lost loved ones while raising funds for brain aneurysm prevention. These races not only bring people together, they help amplify voices during brain aneurysm awareness month.

We are thrilled to announce that this year’s series was our most successful one, raising over $108,000 across 11 events.

2025 TBF Race Series Highlights:

From coast to coast, survivors, advocates, families, and friends stood together in the fight against brain aneurysms. We are incredibly grateful to each and every person who donated, organized, or spread the word to help make this race series the most impactful one yet.

• Virtual TBF Team – September 20, Everywhere – 75+ participants virtually joined hands and stomped out brain aneurysms together across the US!
• Jan-Karl Burkhardt Ironman , June 8, Cambridge, MD – SAB Member advocated for brain aneurysm research completing the feats of swimming, biking and running in the  Ironman 70.3 Eagleman. 
• Team Lo, September 7, Bala Cynwyd, PA – Family and friends of Lora Beth Ritchie faced the run and put one step in front of each other in her memory to continue to raise brain aneurysm prevention.
• TBF Queen Bees 10K, September 7, King of Prussia, PA – The amazing women, friends and kids of TBF participated in the Queen of Prussia and spread awareness with a booth at the Race Expos all weekend. 
• Brittany McCarthy Memorial Run/Walk, September 13, Staten Island, NY – For the 4th year the community of Staten Island supported the McCarthy Family and remembered beloved Brittany.
• Katelyn Kelly Memorial 5K, September 13, New Buffalo, MI – Loved ones and their furry friends came together to celebrate and honor the life of Katelyn who passed away in September of 2024. The beginning of an annual celebration to support the Katelyn Kelly Preventative Research Grant.
• Jenny Sedney Memorial 10K, September 20, Traverse City, MI – Keegan and Jennifer Kane and Steven Smiley ran in the Peace Ranch Wilderness 10K to honor the TBF’s inspiration , Jennifer Sedney.
• Miles For Marlene, September 21, Newark, DE – Family and friends of Marlene Fiala gathered to celebrate her beautiful life and legacy. The event was filled with love and remembrance as the community walked in her honor.
• Tricia Scobey Legacy Race, September 27, Mt. Pleasant, SC – The Mount Pleasant, SC, community rallied around Tricia Scobey, a brain aneurysm survivor, walking in solidarity with her journey and showing what resilience looks like. 
• Annie Mirra Memorial Race, September 28, Fairfield County, CT – Loved ones came together to remember Annie Mirra, a 29 year old nurse whose life was tragically lost to a brain aneurysm. Runners and walkers honored her legacy with every step.
• Rita Skertich Memorial Hike, October 4th, Charlotte, VT – The final event of the series was a heartfelt hike honoring Rita Skertich, a TBF ambassador’s grandmother who had an unruptured brain aneurysm.

Why We Race

September is Brain Aneurysm Awareness Month, and the numbers are sobering. 1 in 50 people have a brain aneurysm. 1 in 50. 30,000 of those will rupture each year, and unfortunately only half will survive. 

What’s even more alarming? The government only spends $3.02 per person impacted by a brain aneurysm on research. That is significantly less than what is spent on other conditions with similar mortality rates, like brain cancer or ovarian cancer. Brain aneurysm research is devastatingly underfunded. And too often, people don’t know the signs until it’s too late. That is why awareness is not an option, it is essential.

Get Involved

You don’t need to be a medical expert or run a 5k to make a difference. Here’s how you can help save lives:

• If you have the ability to donate, helping us fund brain aneurysm prevention research is more important than ever. 
• If you are able to advocate, we urge you to contact your Representatives and ask them to sign
• Click here to learn more about how you can be a good advocate.
• If you are on social media you can help us raise awareness by sharing our posts about the signs and symptoms of brain aneurysms.
• If you want to get involved, start a fundraiser, create a memorial, or start a race in your community. We are already planning for September 2026, and we would love for you to get involved. 

Whether you have been directly impacted or just learned about brain aneurysms through our work, you have the power to create change. One conversation, one share, one step at a time, we are building a future where brain aneurysms are found before they rupture. Unfortunately, we know the devastation all too well. But we also know the strength of community. And we believe that, together, we can eliminate this silent killer for good. 

Thank You

To everyone who ran, walked, donated, or simply showed up, thank you. Because of you, we move forward, one step at a time, with more hope than ever. We hope you join us in 2026!