The 13th annual Augie’s Quest BASH, held in conjunction with the 37th annual international IHRSA convention and trade show, saw unprecedented support from fitness industry friends and sponsors.
According to a press release, the event, which was held last Friday at the Marriott Marina in San Diego, raised $6,068,273 toward efforts to find a cure for ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.
Proceeds from the event were raised in part through a silent auction, as well as through the fundraising efforts of fitness partners such as the Team Quest4ALS campaign, the #iburnforals campaign, and dozens of others. This year's standout was Orangetheory Fitness, which announced that its recent three-week fundraising effort had raised $4 million.
Wow! So powerful! @augiesquest Bash makes over $6M towards ALS cure! #IHRSA2018
A post shared by Athletic Business (@athleticbiz) on Mar 23, 2018 at 10:04pm PDT
The BASH was highlighted by a heartwarming speech from Lynne Nieto, Augie’s wife and ALS Therapy Development Institute board member. She noted that Augie’s Quest and ALS Therapy Development Institute have developed a promising new drug, AT-1501, that could forever change the course of ALS. AT-1501 is slated for human clinical trials later this year but needs additional investments to bring it fully to market.
Augie Nieto is the fitness industry mogul behind Lifecycle, Life Fitness and Octane Fitness. He was diagnosed with ALS in 2005 and co-founded Augie’s Quest to Cure ALS. Through events, partnerships, and fundraising activities around the globe, Augie continues to fund cutting edge ALS research at the ALS Therapy Development Institute (ALS TDI) in Cambridge, Mass.
“Our partners and donors from across the fitness industry are one in a million. Their competitive spirit, generous financial support and fierce commitment as a collective industry to actively champion the health of so many people affected by ALS is driving real change and research results,” said Augie Nieto, Chief Inspiration Officer, Augie’s Quest and Chairman, ALS Therapy Development Institute. “ALS is not incurable; it is only underfunded. ALS doesn’t have a fighting chance with the fitness industry in the ring.”
Augie’s Quest and its partners have raised over $66 million since its inception.
