I am running the 2025 Chicago marathon with Team ALS on Sunday, October 12, in honor of my dad, Don Gruenewald, who passed away from ALS in February 2025, just one short year after his diagnosis in February 2024.  I watched as this terrible disease quickly took away everything from the hardest working and most active person I knew. In staying true to everything my dad was, he vowed to never be in a wheelchair, and he fulfilled that promise to the end, even power walking all around the house the day before he passed.  My dad was very supportive of me and all of my activities, but especially my running.  He knew I had signed up to run this race and was very excited about it.  I am happy to be able to honor him by training and running this race for him, while raising funds for such an important cause.  My hope is that one day no one will have to experience or watch a loved one go through the awful disease that is ALS.

This is why challenging ALS is important to me. To bring hope. To raise awareness. To find a cure. To make the dream of ending ALS a reality.  Please donate and help defeat ALS!