Our mission
We started the Jeffrey F. Birkel Foundation to fundraise for the ALS Association, ALS United, and ALS Research. Before his diagnosis, Jeff was an avid distance runner (he's run 10 marathons and one Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim). In 2005, Jeff ran the Boston Marathon and helped raise funds for MPD research, a rare disease with which a dear friend and co-worker had been diagnosed. Now Jeff wants to turn his diagnosis into an opportunity to raise funds for ALS, which, like MPD, is rare and under-funded.
Jeff encouraged his two boys, Matt and Mike, to take up running at a young age - and they did! They both ran Boston in 2023, and on Father’s Day of 2024 they decided to run it again with Jeff, with one of them pushing him in a racing pushchair and the other running alongside. The Boston Marathon requires setting an acceptable qualifying time at another marathon to get an entry, and they did just that at the Nebraska State Fair Marathon on August 24th!
Why donate?
In order to get a pushchair (“Duo Team”) entry, the Birkel family needed to go through the Boston Marathon’s charity program and fundraise a certain amount. We’re proud to announce that in December 2024, The ALS Association and the Boston Athletic Association granted entry bibs to all three for the 129th running of the Boston Marathon on April 21st, 2025! We’re also happy to report that in November, the Foundation achieved its original donation goal of $20,000 for the ALS Association, thus meeting their fundraising commitment! Many thanks to our generous donors! There’s no reason to stop there, though. We want to continue fundraising as much as we can, all the way up until the marathon finish line!
10 marathons
(and 1 Rim-to-Rim)
Time to turn it up to 11!
Updates
Training and fundraising have continued in earnest. You can follow Matt and Mike’s training journey on the Strava links provided at the top of the webpage. You can also follow us on social media.1/29/25
With a lot of help from the ALS Association’s communication team, there are two scheduled TV interviews and more in the works. Stay tuned!
12/5/24
After interviewing with the ALS Association and entering the Boston Marathon’s raffle for getting a pushchair (“Duo Team”) bib, Mike & Jeff officially got selected as part of the Boston Marathon 2025 Duo Team field! We’re going to Boston!!
11/15/24
The Birkel family officially got accepted into the ALS Association’s charity team for the 2025 Boston Marathon! Now, Jeff & Mike are requesting a pushchair (“Duo Team”) bib from the BAA. Finally, in December, the BAA will raffle out the Duo Team bibs they have based on which charities request Duo Team bibs.
Social Media
Preparing for Boston's legendary Heartbreak Hill by running up the biggest hill in Sun Prairie! And during a long run, too, so that I simulate how it feels during the actual race 💪
It might not be quite the same as pushing Dad up Heartbreak Hill, but every little bit of prep counts!
#als #alsassociation #alsunited #beatals #bostonmarathon #bostonmarathon2025 #duoteam #duoteamracing #running #marathontraining
Last long run in the dark! I'm an evening runner, so until Daylight Savings takes effect, it's hard for me to finish a long run before dusk. At least Ive got the gear for it, though!
Fortunately, the Boston Marathon will be run totally in the daytime, so I won't have to worry about wearing my headlamp and light vest for the race. But for now, we gotta make do! Next week is the start of Daylight Savings, woohoo!
#als #alsassociation #alsunited #beatals #bostonmarathon #bostonmarathon2025 #duoteam #duoteamracing #running #marathontraining
Getting closer each run to race day!
For those who are wondering, the donuts actually worked pretty well. Would definitely recommend in a pinch 🍩
Is this me teaching myself how to fuel for when I get into Ultras? Hope not! Marathons are far enough.
Starting to get a bit nervous for those hills at Boston, but it'll be worth it to run together as a family.
Thanks @ajdiverde for the company on this run!
Keep following along with our journey and help us raise money for ALS at jeffreybirkel.org.
#als #alsassociation #alsunited #beatals #bostonmarathon #bostonmarathon2025 #duoteam #duoteamracing #running #marathontraining
I would tell my boys when they didn't feel like or want to do a workout to just do it anyway. You'll be glad you did afterward. I dubbed those runs as "Character Building." I'm drawing on that character now to sustain me on my walk with ALS. I'm glad I got myself "up and out there" all those years! It's funny how things you did for other reasons can help you in ways you never dreamed of. Keep on keeping on!
#als #alsassociation #alsunited #beatals #bostonmarathon #bostonmarathon2025 #duoteam #duoteamracing #running #marathontraining
This run marks the half way point for the training block. Temps are coming back up and the snow is melting.
At the time of this post, there's just 1 month until the big day! My brother, Mike, and I will be pushing our dad, Jeff, at the Boston Marathon. Dad was diagnosed with ALS in Dec 2023. You can support our effort to raise funds for ALS research at jeffreybirkel.org
#als #alsassociation #alsunited #beatals #bostonmarathon #bostonmarathon2025 #duoteam #duoteamracing #running #marathontraining
Preparing to run marathon distances by hydrating and fueling is an important part of training. No surprises on race day!
I'm teaching my body to store up large amounts of fluids, electrolytes, & carbohydrates, which is going to give me the endurance I need to help push Dad to the Boston Marathon finish line next month!
#als #alsassociation #alsunited #beatals #bostonmarathon #bostonmarathon2025 #duoteam #duoteamracing #running #marathontraining
Media
- 9/17/24
Pushing Forward: Jeff Birkel’s Fight and Marathon Mission
What is ALS?
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as motor neuron disease (MND) or Lou Gehrig's disease in the United States, is a rare, terminal neurodegenerative disorder that results in the progressive loss of both upper and lower motor neurons that normally control voluntary muscle contraction. ALS often presents in its early stages with gradual muscle stiffness, twitches, weakness, and wasting. Motor neuron loss typically continues until the abilities to eat, speak, move, and, lastly, breathe are all lost. While only 15% of people with ALS also fully develop frontotemporal dementia, an estimated 50% face at least some minor difficulties with thinking and behavior.
There is no known cure for ALS. The goal of treatment is to slow the disease progression, and improve symptoms. The disease can affect people of any age, but usually starts around the age of 60. The average survival from onset to death is two to four years, though this can vary, and about 10% of those affected survive longer than ten years.