OLD ORCHARD BEACH — The New England Parkinson’s ride has surpassed $1 million in fundraising since its inception in 2008 for the Michael J. Fox foundation.

“It’s amazing … to think we started off with 35 people who were mostly family and friends,” said race founder Edna Woods of Merrimack, New Hampshire.

Woods’ son, Chris, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s at age 41. An avid biker, he participated in other charity bike rides, but there wasn’t one dedicated to Parkinson’s, so Edna Woods began the New England Parkinson’s Race, held every September in Old Orchard Beach.

The ride will be held on Saturday, and begins and ends at The Ballpark this year, and there will be plenty of free parking and showers will be available in the club houses for participants, organizers say.

There are multiple rides, from 10 miles to 100 miles, beginning at 7:30 a.m.

Woods said her son will be riding Saturday, as will other relatives.

Organizers are hoping for 600 participants, and Woods said there are people signed up from all over the country.

Earlier this week, she knew of 26 riders who had Parkinson’s disease and more who had a family member or friend with the disease.

“It’s a very inspiring event,” she said.

According to the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation, approximately 60,000 Americans are diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease each year. Parkinson’s disease is a chronic and progressive movement disorder. Symptoms include tremors, slowness of movement, stiffness of limbs or trunk, and impacted balance and coordination.

Woods, along with local retired pediatrician Conner Moore, are hopeful that a cure will some day be found for Parkinson’s disease, given the research that is currently underway.

Moore, 76, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease four years ago, and will be participating in Saturday’s ride. Moore described his symptoms as “a lot of little things that make life inconvenient.” Moore has always maintained an active lifestyle, and finds that he cannot hike like he used to, and that he often finds himself “out of steam” after lunch. Although, he said, as a doctor it seems like an oxymoron, his handwriting has become smaller and less legible.

Moore said he had gotten over a stuttering problem as a young child, but now must do daily speech therapy in order to speak clearly. Moore said he goes to a medically oriented gym, and he also uses a Theracycle. The motion of bicycling has been found to reduce symptoms in some people with Parkinson’s disease, he said.

For more information on The New England Parkinson’s ride, or to sign up, go to www.neparkinsonsride.com.

— Staff Writer Liz Gotthelf can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 325 or [email protected].