Photo: Boston Athletic Association
When Paul Seaver crosses the starting line of the 2026 Boston Marathon, it will mark a first for him as a runner, but a continuation of a promise he has been keeping for nearly 13 years.
Seaver is one of five members of the 2026 UMass ALS Cellucci Fund Boston Marathon Team. The team—Paul Seaver, John Kelly, Catherine Binkoski, Aimee Usera, and Paul McNeil—is continuing a 15-year tradition of running to advance amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) research at UMass Chan Medical School. Three of this year’s runners have completed the Boston Marathon before, underscoring the team’s depth of experience and commitment to the cause.
Since 2012, Cellucci Fund runners have raised more than $896,000 for research in the interdisciplinary labs under the direction of Robert H. Brown Jr., DPhil, MD, one of the world’s leading ALS researchers. With each runner working toward a goal of raising $10,000 this year, the team is closing in on an extraordinary milestone: $1 million raised to fuel the groundbreaking research.
“As we close in on an extraordinary $1 million fundraising milestone achieved through our Boston Marathon teams, that momentum fuels the ALS research my father believed in so deeply.”
“Seeing five dedicated runners carry my dad’s name and mission forward means more to my family than we can ever fully express,” said Anne Cellucci Adams. “This year’s Boston Marathon marks the 15th consecutive year a UMass ALS Cellucci Fund team will take part in this iconic event, and that longevity speaks to the passion and commitment of everyone who chooses to run for a cure. As we close in on an extraordinary $1 million fundraising milestone achieved through our Boston Marathon teams, that momentum fuels the ALS research my father believed in so deeply.”
For Seaver, the 26.2-mile journey is deeply personal. His father, a longtime high school basketball coach, was diagnosed with ALS on Feb. 16, 2011—the same day as Seaver’s final junior varsity game at Wellesley High School. His father died just under two years later.
“ALS was just three letters to me at first,” Seaver said. “Then you look into it, and it’s 100 percent fatal. It’s a two- to five-year diagnosis. You’re setting yourself up to embrace the final stretch of your life, however long that may be.” After his father died, Seaver promised himself that he would not let the disease define the end of his father’s story. He committed to staying involved in the fight against ALS—through fundraising, advocacy and, now, the Boston Marathon.
Photo courtesy of Paul Seaver
A lifelong Massachusetts resident who grew up near Hopkinton, Seaver has long cherished Marathon Monday. But this year will be different. “Getting to run it in memory of my dad, as well as raising crucial funds for ALS, is just very special,” he said. “It’s a special day for Massachusetts, a special day for Boston and now I get to be part of it.”
Although this is his first Boston Marathon, Seaver is no stranger to endurance fundraising. On two Lou Gehrig Day anniversaries, he walked 32 miles—from his home in Bellingham to Fenway Park—to raise money for ALS research.
Continuing his father’s legacy extends beyond fundraising. Seaver followed his father’s footsteps into coaching. Today, he serves as the boy’s varsity basketball coach at Wellesley—the same school his father coached at before his diagnosis. “When this job opened up, I kind of knew I had to go for it,” he said. “My dad started his coaching career at Milford, where I coached. He ended it at Wellesley, where I coach now. It’s a real full-circle story.”
His father’s influence remains a constant in Seaver’s life. When he got married in 2022, Seaver reserved a special place for his father, making him his honorary best man.
Photo courtesy of Paul Seaver
This year’s marathon team incudes additional connections for Seaver. He previously worked in nonprofit fundraising for the ALS Association and managed Boston Marathon teams. Now, he finds himself running alongside people he once supported behind the scenes.
As the Cellucci Fund team approaches its $1 million fundraising milestone, its collective effort continues to power research at UMass Chan aimed at better understanding, treating and ultimately curing ALS.
For Seaver, Marathon Monday is not a finish line—it is part of an ongoing commitment. “Even when April 21 comes around and I might be sleeping in that morning,” he said, “it’s still another day that someone’s fighting this disease. And it’s on to the next thing.”
For information on how to support or sponsor the 2026 Boston Marathon runners in their efforts for ALS research, visit the UMass ALS Cellucci Fund Boston Marathon Team page.
