Newswise — HOUSTON – (March 25, 2014) – The John Ritter Foundation for Aortic Health, selected as an official charity of the 2014 TCS New York City Marathon in November, is recruiting members for Team Ritter. Proceeds raised by members of Team Ritter will go to the John Ritter Research Program (JRRP) in Aortic and Vascular Disease at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth).

Each official charity is given a limited number of entry slots for the marathon on Nov. 2.

“We are looking for a great group of people that is are passionate about increasing awareness of aortic dissection and its risk factors and committed to raising funds to support the foundation and the JRRP,” said actress, writer and aortic health advocate Amy Yasbeck, the widow of legendary comic actor John Ritter, who died from an acute aortic dissection in 2003.

To apply for a position on the team, please complete the online application by April 4. The application can be found at http://johnritterfoundation.org/?p=1614. Finalists will be contacted soon after that date to schedule phone interviews, and team members will be selected by early May. People who cannot participate in the marathon but would like to support Team Ritter should contact [email protected].

The JRRP is dedicated to preventing premature deaths due to aortic dissection by identifying genes and other risk factors that predispose to the disease.

About the TCS New York City Marathon

The TCS New York City Marathon is the most popular and inclusive marathon in the world, attracting the world’s top professional athletes and a vast range of recreational runners. The race began in 1970 with just 127 entrants racing four laps of Central Park. Today, more than 50,000 entrants from around the world run through New York City’s five boroughs, starting on Staten Island at the foot of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge and finishing in Central Park. Participants include Olympians, top age-group competitors, and many thousands who run for charity and to achieve their own personal goals. Millions of fans cheer the runners from the streets and watch the global television broadcast. The race is part of the World Marathon Majors, an alliance of the world’s six biggest marathons that determines each year’s top male and top female marathoner. The TCS New York City Marathon is the premier event of New York Road Runners, the world’s foremost community running organization, whose mission is to help and inspire people through running.