Jeni-Fit Team to Run Pizza Race for Parkinson's

Westfield resident and owner of Jeni-Fit, a local fitness company, Jenifer Wirtshafter, has rallied a team of runners who'll participate in Wednesday's Pizza Race to raise money for Parkinson's Disease research.

Wirtshafter was inspired by a client she's training who has the disease and yet will still "do her best to complete the race."

"We will simultaneously support the Westfield Pizza Race, have fun getting fit, and raise money for the Michael J. Fox Foundation, to help find a cure for people like my client and my mother-in-law who suffer from Parkinson's Disease," the trainer told Patch. "The team has about 30 runners so far and we have raised about $1,000 as of today."

The business owner noted that seven to 10 million people worldwide are struggling daily with Parkinson's Disease.

"In the United States, approximately 60,000 people are diagnosed each year. Individuals with Parkinson’s experience rigid muscles, tremors, slow movement, and impaired posture and balance. It is imperative that we raise money to bring us one step closer to a cure," she added.

The Wirtshafters are no strangers to running for a cause. In 2009, Wirtshafter's son Eli organized a team to run in the race to raise money for his bar mitzvah project. Called "Eli's Mitzvah Miles," Wirtshafter raised money for Special Olympics for his project.

To contribute, checks, which will be donated to the Michael J. Fox Foundation, can be made payable to Jeni-Fit and sent to: 33 Normandy Drive, Westfield, NJ 07090.