Augie's Quest to Cure ALS

Mark Mastrov will be honored with the first-ever Augie Nieto Fitness Legacy Award at this year’s Augie’s Quest BASH fundraiser, to be held October 22nd at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas as part of the 12th annual Fitness Technology Summit. The award is more than deserved, both for Mastrov’s achievements in the fitness industry and for the integral role he played in the creation of Augie's Quest to Cure ALS, a nonprofit organization that’s raised over $100 million for ALS research in the name of the late Augie Nieto, the founder of Life Fitness who passed away in 2023 after an 18-year battle with ALS. Click below to read more!

Over 170 Life Time Inc. clubs across the country will host a 90-minute workout fundraiser for Augie's Quest to Cure ALS on Saturday, September 28. The length of the classes was chosen to recognize that someone is diagnosed with ALS roughly every 90 minutes. Bahram Akradi, Chairman, CEO & Founder of LifeTime.Life, is the catalyst for this nationwide campaign, honoring his friend, Augie Nieto, who passed last year after living 18 brave years with ALS. He is championing events in all Life Time clubs and encouraging others to join this quest. #GO90 will feature a variety of 90-minute, $25 donation class formats. You can sign up here! Member Sign Up: tinyurl.com/9p4s7dup Sign Up Non-Member: tinyurl.com/yxvrkrmb

It’s the 10th Anniversary of the Ice Bucket Challenge…and the 10th anniversary of my video in a pink bikini that went viral and raised over $3 million for ALS research (and got me on the Ellen DeGeneres show). I’m proud that I was the catalyst to raising so much money for ALS research and I’m also mourning the feeling of being able-bodied enough to create a funny video that would have such a huge impact. It’s bittersweet because the creators, Pete and Pat, are no longer with us. .. neither is Augie nor my mother. So much has changed in the past 10 years but one thing remains the same…I’m fiercely motivated to find a cure for this horrible disease and will always do everything I can to create a future where no family has to deal with ALS. To everyone who participated in the Ice Bucket Challenge, thank you. You have pushed the needle forward in ALS research. Your support in 2014 allowed ALS Therapy Development Institute to invest $2 million into the ALS Research Collaborative (ARC), expanding the study from 25 to 300 participants in the immediate aftermath of the Challenge. Today, over 1,000 people with ALS have participated in the ARC study, contributing their data to the longest-running natural history study in ALS. In 2023, ALS TDI launched the ARC Data Commons, a cloud based platform that advances global research by making this study data available to researchers around the world. But our work is far from over. ALS TDI’s cutting-edge research, powered by Augie's Quest, is collectively funded by donations from people like you. We will not stop until everyone with ALS has effective treatments. This August, we ask you to join us once more. Donate to augiesquest.org every August until we have a cure. - Anthony Carbajal #ALSicebucketchallenge

Congrats to our 2024 TCS New York City Marathon team member, Luc Sallaberry for crushing his fundraising goal with over $109,000 raised for ALS research! Thank you for being such a strong advocate for Augie's Quest! ___________________________ WHY I RUN ALS first became a part of my life back when I was in college. I had never met Augie at that point. He didn’t know it, but he was a tremendously inspirational figure to me. My dad had told my brothers and me all about him. Fast forward 4 years later, ALS hit much closer to home. For a few months, my mom had been experiencing an unexplained case of “Drop Foot.” Eventually it took her away from tennis. Mom was a truly amazing tennis player; at one point, she was playing on 6 different teams, she took two of them to the USTA National Finals, and throughout her playing years, she won close to 90% of her matches, all while still being Super Mom. After a number of visits to all sorts of specialists, she was finally referred to a neurologist. Given what I knew about Augie, when I heard the word “Neurologist,” it terrified me. It wasn’t long after we got the diagnosis: Mom had ALS. We were blessed to get 8 cherished years with mom after her diagnosis. She fought hard and she fought beautifully. She became a beacon in the San Francisco Bay Area ALS community, counseling dozens of newly diagnosed people whose whole worlds were turned upside down overnight. It’s a terrifyingly lonely feeling being diagnosed with a terminal disease that has no cure (yet!). She always knew this wasn’t going to turn into a cure in her lifetime. But that didn’t stop her. She fought, and fought, and fought, up to her final days, so that one day, those that are diagnosed with ALS won’t have to think about how they won’t get to dance with their sons at their wedding or won’t get to see their grandchildren growing up. One day, ALS WILL have a cure! It’s not an incurable disease; it’s simply an underfunded one. Mom believed that in her core and did everything she could to change that. I’m picking up the torch. Every mile I run I’ll be thinking about Mom and Augie. How they’d have done anything to be using their bodies, powering through the pain. How, despite their failing bodies, they chose to fight. I’ll be running for them, and for the thousands of other courageous people, and their families, who are taking this disease head-on. I’ll be running to kick ALS’s ass so that someday very soon we will find a Cure. - Luc Sallaberry

"87 Day," also known as Dwight Clark Day, is an annual tradition that began in 2017. His legacy is carried on by the San Francisco 49ers through the remembrance of "87 Day." Augie's Quest is a proud partner of Dwight Clark day and we are looking forward to 8.7. ___________________________ 10% of all ALS cases are genetic. I know this because my mother, aunt, cousin and grandmother all passed from ALS. So I knew what it was when I started having symptoms. It is a double edge sword to be diagnosed so early. You know that you don’t have all the time in the world anymore, but you do have time to make memorable experiences with your family and loved ones. I have felt so blessed to have that time. That brings me to my love of football. anybody who knows me knows that I’m very competitive. So that’s how I ended up being the co-commissioner of my fantasy football league-Norms Trophy Wives. My husband and I own Norm’s Place, a bar & restaurant that features NFL football all season long with more than 20 TVs. When I was a child growing up in the Bay Area, I grew up a fan of the 49ers. My parents would arrange our time to go to Sunday church around the 49ers game. Now as an adult, I continue to be faithful, supporting the 49ers. In fact, George Kittle made it on my Christmas card last year! Looking forward to sporting the team this year! Go 49ers! - Cindy Walsh

Thanks for your continued support Al Noshirvani!

Why I Run. Running not only keeps me healthy, but it also keeps me happy. In running I find clarity of thoughts, release of negative stress and a better version of me. The thought of not being able to run – or be active – scares me. Sure I’ve had times when I had to take a break but I knew it was short term. However, if it was forever, and if forever was only a few years away, that would be devastating. So when I think about those receiving their ALS diagnosis, I’m heart broken for them. It’s so overwhelming . My brother Leo experienced this ALS process. I learned so much from him about being appreciative for each moment and going out of our comfort zone to make an impact. Yes the marathon training challenges me but even more so is asking for help. Here’s where I tap into Leo’s example and dive into the challenge by asking for your support so we can make the most out of every mile. My ability to run (not fast mind you) is a strength I can tap into to make a difference. This is why I run! - Janet Warner The Alaska Club Support Janet's NYC Marathon journey here: https://lnkd.in/gWUyQwYy

Augie's Quest to Cure ALS is a proud sponsor of Beyond Activ this fall. Join us September 17-19 for this can't miss event in New York. Beyond Activ Americas is a large-scale business and investment event for health, fitness and wellness brands + executives + investors. We have also secured a 20% discount off ticket prices, use the code AUGIE20 in the coupon box at checkout. Register here: tinyurl.com/ynnu9kd3 The Fitness Industry continues to lead the fight to find a Cure for ALS. Thank you to these companies for helping Augie's Quest raise critical funds for ALS research this year.

If you’re in the Chicago area, please join Fitness Formula Clubs (FFC) and Augie's Quest to Cure ALS  on Sunday, July 21 for Yoga In The Park! This class is open to both FFC members and non-members. Class will run from 10 - 11 am CST. Donate $25 to support ALS research and get a discount off brunch at RJ Grunts and a 20% discount off a show at The Second City!   Sign up here: https://lnkd.in/e78TYPwD

Thank you to Four-time Super Bowl champion, Rob Gronkowski for your commitment and support in raising awareness for Augie’s Quest to Cure ALS! #Incurableisunacceptable #EndALS