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Wellness Fest to benefit ALS foundations
Main Street will host Fast & Furious in August

by Dolores Fox Ciardelli

An all day wellness and lifestyle festival designed to bring the world of cycling and running together is being planned for Sunday, Aug. 7, along Main Street in Pleasanton.

Katalyst Events is partnering with the city of Pleasanton and the Pleasanton Downtown Association to host the inaugural Safeway Fast & Furious Festival Powered by Hill Physicians Medical Group to be held from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.

"Downtown Pleasanton offers competitors and spectators a wide variety of shopping and dining experiences before, during and after the event," said Katalyst Events co-founders Chris McCrary and Kevin Magna in explaining why the event is being held in Pleasanton.

A portion of proceeds will be donated to the fight against Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. In 2010, McCrary's friend, Pete Zucker, an avid cyclist and triathlete, was diagnosed with ALS.

"Pete's fight has provided us with the inspiration and motivation to devote our efforts to a cause much bigger than the sport of running or cycling," said McCrary. "We are committed to raising funds and awareness about ALS. We are essentially no closer to a cure than we were more than 70 years ago when Lou Gehrig fought the disease."

Zucker completed the Ironman Triathlon 70.3 World Championships in Florida in 2006; now he uses a walker to get around the house. Since his diagnosis, Zucker, a husband, business owner and father of two boys, has become one of thousands of PALS (people with ALS) hoping for a cure or effective treatment.

"We enjoy each day, we continue to laugh, we continue to have fun together, we are just a little more limited," said Monica Zucker, his wife. "We're still a loving family and we're dealing with the cards that were dealt to us."

Three ALS foundations have been chosen to partner with Fast & Furious: Augie's Quest, ALS TDI, and the Blazeman Foundation.