Lauren Clausman, like so many others, was mostly unaware of ALS before it touched someone close to her. Then, in 2011, her cousin Natalie’s mother, Martha Olson Fernandez, was diagnosed with the disease and passed away the next year. Lauren was shocked that a condition so devastating could exist with so little awareness, so she decided to do something about it.
“It really hit close to home, as far as the impact that it had on our family directly,” she says. “Especially the fact that, at the time, no one really seemed to understand what ALS was. For years, it felt like there just wasn’t that much awareness around it. So, three years ago, when I got into the [TCS New York City Marathon], I decided to raise money and awareness for ALS.”
At the time, despite running competitively since the eighth grade, Lauren was just getting into marathons. She was inspired by the opportunity to fundraise for ALS organizations, including the Martha Olson Fernandez Foundation (MOFF), an organization founded by Natalie and her family to support ALS care and research in their mother’s memory. The foundation supports services for people with ALS living in Central California through a partnership with the ALS Network, as well as research at the ALS Therapy Development Institute (ALS TDI).
On October 25, 2026, Lauren will run the Marine Corps Marathon in Arlington, VA. This will be her fourth marathon to support MOFF and ALS TDI. She says that this particular race appealed to her for several reasons: the scenic course through the nation’s capital, its status as a Boston Marathon qualifier, and, as someone with several service members in her family, its association with the military.
That last detail has inspired the focus of her fundraising efforts, promoting ALS TDI’s Champion Insights Study. Champion Insights is a study recruiting people with ALS from groups that appear to develop the disease at higher rates than the general population, including military service members, first responders, and elite athletes. Lauren says that highlighting this area of ALS TDI’s work felt particularly relevant for the race she was running, as well as something she could talk about with the athletes in her community.
“[Champion Insights] is taking a direct approach to looking at the correlation between ALS and, for example, people who are athletes or people with a military background,” she says, “and really trying to identify what the linear causes between the two could be. So, for someone like me who’s very competitive, who’s well-connected in the sports and running communities, and to have people in my life who served in the military, it’s very interesting to me. I felt like this was something that would be relatable for myself and my peers when speaking about ALS.”
With the race coming up later this month, Lauren is continuing to train with her run club in her home of Delray Beach, FL. She says that, despite the long hours of training and preparation, knowing that every mile will support a cause so dear to her heart will keep her motivated through race day and beyond.
“When I finish a big goal or a race like this, it feels 10 times more successful, more productive, knowing I was also able to raise awareness and raise money for people that are close to me,” she says. “It just makes the celebration at the end feel so much more earned.”
To learn more and support Lauren’s fundraiser, click here.
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