In 2016 I will participate in 4 races in 4 countries where I will swim, bike, and run a total of 232 km, including my first ever Half Ironman and marathon. Why? Because I can, but there are thousands of people who can’t, even if they would want to…because they have ALS, otherwise known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.

I chose this cause because my friend Garmt van Soest was diagnosed with ALS and continues to fight against this disease today. If I can’t find the cause of the disease myself, I can at least attempt to raise money toward research.

My goal is to raise 7,800 EUR in 2016, which equates to the amount of research funding required for 4 full DNA profiles (one per each of my races this year).

If you prefer to donate in dollars, please visit my U.S. campaign site here.

While I swim, bike, and run, you can show your support by donating 10 cents, 25 cents, 50 cents, or 1 dollar per km that I race.

As an additional incentive, during the Athens Marathon in November I’ll wear a racing shirt with the names of the top 50 donors printed on it (big enough to see while I run), which will give you yet another voice of support against ALS!

My race schedule is:

• 29 May: 20 km Run Race in Brussels, Belgium
• 26 June: Olympic Triathlon in Amsterdam, Netherlands (1.5 km swim + 45 km bike + 10 km run = 56.5 km)
• 7 August: Half Ironman in Gdynia, Poland (2 km swim + 90 km bike + 21.1 km run = 113.1 km)
• 6 November (estimated date): Marathon in Athens, Greece  (42.2 km run)

For all 4 races of 232 km combined, this would mean rounded donations among the below four donation options:

• Dimes for Time -> 10 cents per km = 23 EUR
• Quarters Across Borders -> 25 cents per km = 58 EUR
• 50 Cents Makes Sense -> 50 cents per km = 116 EUR
• Euros for Heroes -> 1 euro per km = 232 EUR

If you wish to donate other amounts, all variations are welcome!

Throughout the year, I’ll keep a running blog at faustblog.com to keep you informed of how I’m progressing in my training as well as my performance for each race. This should reassure you of my continuous engagement in this project.

Together let’s take the fight to ALS one km at a time!