When Brady Beck lines up at the 2026 Bank of America Chicago Marathon, he’ll be running with more than qualifying for Boston on his mind. He’ll be running for his dad.
Dan Beck battled ALS from 2019 to 2021. Throughout his illness, the Les Turner ALS Foundation provided the Beck family with specialized equipment to help Dan maintain his mobility and communication, and connected them with support groups to cope with the realities of the disease. It was support that helped Dan keep his mantra alive: find a favorite part of the day, every day, through the end.
“Before 2019, I didn’t know much about ALS,” Brady says. “One of the biggest takeaways from living with my dad battling the disease is that it’s constantly evolving. My family talked constantly about adjusting to a new normal. My dad’s biggest success was finding a way to live every single day in the face of a debilitating, progressive disease that was taking all these things away from him. Trying to persist in the face of it was his every day.”
Brady first ran the Chicago Marathon with Team Race for ALS in 2023, raising over $5,000. Dad wasn’t physically there on race day, but Brady felt his presence every step. Now, with two more marathons behind him, he’s returning to the streets of Chicago with a goal of doubling his fundraising impact and breaking 2:50:00 to qualify for Boston.
This time, he’s co-captaining Team Dan with his college roommate Ty. “If you knew my dad, he was one of the biggest Boston sports fans and instilled the New England pride in our family,” Brady says. “Going back to Boston would be a big deal.”
A former soccer player, Brady turned to running in college as a way to process and cope while his dad was at home battling ALS. “It helped me stay sane,” he says. “Moving out to California, running helped me connect with lots of runners out here — they’re the ones who spurred me forward in pursuing this as a sport.”
Training has had its ups and downs, but Brady is peaking at the right time. “The longer runs have been going even better than my previous marathon cycle. I’m excited again to be running on a daily basis and getting ready for the big day.”
What keeps him going on the hard days? The faces of everyone who has donated. “Sometimes I’ll go on the fundraising page and see all those dollars and those faces — it’s really moving. I’ve gotten all these people to donate, and I have to hold up my end of the bargain and give it my all.”
For other fundraisers and runners, Brady’s advice is simple: have fun with it, run with other people, and find a community. He’s been posting training videos on Instagram, and in May for ALS Awareness Month, he pledged to run a mile for every $10 raised. “There was no way I could run 500 miles that month, but it helped raise a lot of money. Talking about a difficult thing — my dad passing from ALS — I’ve had the chance to rip that band-aid off and be more open about it.”
On October 11, 2026, Brady will take on the city with Team Dan behind him. Dad may not be there in person, but he’ll be there every step of the way.
To support Brady’s fundraising efforts for the Chicago Marathon, click the link below:
