On August 30, 2026, I crossed the finish line of my first Catalina Classic. 32 miles from Catalina Island to Manhattan Pier in 7 hours, 22 minutes, and 11 seconds.
Thirty-two miles of paddling is a challenge I won't soon forget. But somewhere along the way, my friendship with Tom introduced me to a much bigger challenge—one that has nothing to do with crossing a finish line. It has to do with ALS.
A Friendship That Became Something Bigger
Tom has been involved in raising awareness and funds for ALS for many years. His connection to the disease is deeply personal. His mother, Anastasia “Peacha” Horton, was diagnosed with ALS in 2005 after months of worsening symptoms and difficulty getting a diagnosis. She died later that year.
Tom has carried her memory—and his commitment to fighting ALS—with him ever since.
About ten years ago, while visiting Greece with his wife and children, Tom began imagining what it might be like to paddle between the Greek Islands. The idea stayed with him.
Eventually, that idea became a plan.
And that plan has now become the Greek Islands Paddle to Cure ALS. From October 5–12, 2026, a group of paddlers and supporters from the United States will travel to Greece to paddle between islands in the Saronic Gulf, raising awareness and funds for ALS along the way. I'll be joining them.
What Exactly Is ALS?
Before getting involved in this trip, I knew what ALS was. But like many people, I didn't fully understand what living with the disease actually means. ALS stands for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. It is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells responsible for controlling voluntary muscles. As those nerve cells stop functioning, people can gradually lose the ability to move, speak, swallow and, eventually, breathe.
One of the difficult things about ALS is that it can be hard to diagnose, particularly because it is a relatively rare disease and its early symptoms can resemble those of other conditions. And ALS doesn't discriminate based on where you live. It isn't an American disease. It isn't a California disease. It isn't a Greek disease. It is a global disease.
There are people and families dealing with ALS all over the world, and they need awareness, support, better treatments and ultimately a cure. That's one of the things that makes this trip so meaningful to me.
From California to Greece
The connection between paddling and ALS might not seem obvious at first. But for those of us who paddle, we understand what it means to commit yourself to something physically difficult. We understand the hours of training, the uncomfortable moments, the doubt, the fatigue and the decision to keep going when your body is telling you that it would be much easier to stop.
For this trip, we'll be doing that together. The first day will take us from Marina Alimos to Agistri. Because of heavy ship traffic, we won't paddle that first leg. After that, conditions permitting, we'll paddle a series of crossings between the islands.
Agistri to Poros: approximately 15 nautical miles.
Poros to Hydra: approximately 15 nautical miles.
Hydra to Spetses: approximately 15 nautical miles.
Then we'll head back toward the mainland and continue through Ermioni, Poros and Aegina, with several additional long crossings along the way.
That's a lot of time on the water. And we're not going to be standing on traditional stand-up paddleboards. We'll be using prone paddleboards, lying down or kneeling and pulling ourselves through the water with our hands. The boards are about 12 feet long, and we'll be paddling for hours at a time. It will be physically demanding. But that's also the point.
Every stroke is an opportunity to talk about ALS. Every island we reach gives us another opportunity to tell someone about the disease. And every person who hears the story has the potential to pass it along to someone else.
ALS May Be Closer Than You Think
One of the things I've learned through Tom is just how many people have a personal connection to ALS. You may not realize it. You may have a friend whose parent had ALS.
A co-worker whose spouse was diagnosed. A neighbor whose brother is living with the disease. A family member who has lost someone.
Or maybe you've never heard the words “ALS” spoken in your own circle at all.
But chances are, if you start asking people, you'll be surprised by how many have been touched by it. That realization has changed the way I look at this trip. We're not simply a group of Americans going to Greece to paddle. We're part of a much larger community—people living with ALS, caregivers, families, researchers, healthcare professionals, advocates and organizations around the world who are working toward the same goal. And this trip is bringing people from two countries together around that shared mission.
The Hellenic ALS Association in Greece and the ALS Network in the United States are collaborating around the Greek Islands Paddle to Cure ALS. The hope is that this journey will help bring greater awareness to ALS in Greece, strengthen connections within the international ALS community and help support the ongoing search for better treatments and a cure.
Why I'm Going
I could tell you that I'm going because I love to paddle, that's certainly part of it. I could tell you that paddling through the Greek Islands is an incredible opportunity, it is. And I could tell you that spending a week on the water with a group of people who share the same passion is something I'm really looking forward to. But the real reason is bigger than all of that.
I'm going because a friend introduced me to a story that deserves to be heard. Tom's mother had ALS. Someone else I know may have a family member with ALS. Someone reading this may have lost a parent, spouse, sibling or friend. And somewhere right now, another family is hearing the words that Tom's family heard years ago. That's why awareness matters. That's why research matters, and that's why fundraising matters.
One Stroke at a Time
I don't know exactly what the Greek Islands will have in store for us. The wind will determine a lot. The sea conditions will determine a lot. Our bodies will determine a lot. We'll have long days on the water, and I'm sure there will be moments when we're tired and wondering how many more miles we have to go. But we'll keep moving.
One stroke at a time, and every stroke will represent something bigger than the distance we're trying to cover. It will represent the people living with ALS today. It will represent the families and caregivers walking alongside them. It will represent people like Tom's mother, whose stories shouldn't be forgotten. And it will represent the hope that someday someone will find a way to stop ALS.
You Can Be Part of the Journey
You don't have to be a paddler to be part of this. You don't have to travel to Greece, and you don't have to know someone with ALS personally. You can help simply by learning about ALS, talking about it, sharing this story and helping other people understand that this disease affects families everywhere—not just here in the United States.
And if you'd like to take the next step, you can make a direct donation to support our paddle team's ALS fundraising efforts here:
Tom Horton - Paddle, Run, Surf to Cure ALS
Every contribution helps. Every conversation helps. Every person who learns what ALS is helps. We're going to Greece to paddle between islands. But ultimately, we're hoping to bring something much farther than our paddleboards ever could: awareness, connection and hope for a cure.
I'll see you on the water.
(p.s. We need more difference makers like you in this world to make it a better place. Please pass the page along to anyone else who is as awesome as you are!)
