Thank you for visiting my fundraising page.

On March 15, 2026, I’ll be running the 2026 New York City Half Marathon with Team ALS, supported by ALS United of Greater New York.

ALS (also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease) is a progressive neuromuscular disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. Over time, it takes away a person’s ability to walk, speak, swallow, and eventually breathe. It can affect anyone, and right now, there is still no known cure.

This cause is deeply personal to me. 

My father was diagnosed with ALS in 2011, and he passed away in 2014. The unwavering strength and positive attitude he (and my mom as his primary caregiver) showed through all of it amazes and inspires me to this day. I want to honor his strength by supporting people living with ALS and their families. ALS United is working to support the ALS community by providing resources and funding medical research initiatives geared toward developing new treatments, and hopefully, a cure. Running with Team ALS gives me an opportunity to raise essential funds that can help the ALS community in a much needed way.

A few realities about ALS that are hard to sit with, but important to share:

• Every 90 minutes, someone is diagnosed with ALS, and someone passes away from it.

• 90% of cases happen with no known family history or genetic cause.
• The average age of onset is 55, most often between 40 and 70, though it can happen earlier too.
• ALS is about 20% more common in men, though the difference becomes smaller with age.
• Military veterans are about twice as likely to be diagnosed, for reasons we still don’t fully understand.

Remember the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge from the summer of 2014? Fundraising for ALS research and support gained significant momentum after that, and I hope to do my small bit to keep it going.

Even the smallest donation makes a difference. And if now isn’t the right time, that’s completely okay. Sharing this page or keeping this cause in mind also means a lot. I’m hoping to continue fundraising in the future too.

Thank you so much,

Sumukh

Together we end ALS.

P.S. Check if your workplace has employee donation matching programs. They basically could double your contribution! :)