Thank you for visiting my fundraising page.
On Sunday 1 November, I’m running the 2026 TCS New York City Marathon with Team ALS ONE to raise funds and awareness for ALS (known as MND in the UK), in memory of Hal Finney.
Who was Hal Finney?
Hal was a computer scientist and cryptographer who spent his life building tools to protect people’s privacy and freedom. He was an early developer of PGP, the encryption software that brought private communication to ordinary people. In 2004 he created RPOW (Reusable Proofs of Work), a forerunner of Bitcoin. As he wrote in 1992: “The computer can be used as a tool to liberate and protect people, rather than to control them.”
When Satoshi Nakamoto released Bitcoin in January 2009, Hal was the first person besides its creator to run the software. On 10 January he tweeted two words: “Running bitcoin”. Two days later he received the first ever bitcoin transaction, 10 BTC sent by Satoshi as a test.
Hal was also a keen runner. He had run several half marathons and was training to qualify for the Boston Marathon. In May 2009 he started the Los Angeles Marathon but had to drop out about halfway with cramping and twitching in his muscles, early signs of what was to come. That August, he was diagnosed with ALS.
Over time the disease took away his ability to move, speak and breathe on his own. Hal never stopped working. He kept writing code using eye-tracking software, and with his wife Fran he raised funds and awareness for ALS research. He died in August 2014, aged 58.
Why I’m running for Hal
I founded Bitcoin Runners, a global community of people who love running and bitcoin, and Hal’s two words are part of everything we do. We hold Run For Hal events around the world. With Fran and others, I co-founded the annual Running Bitcoin Challenge, which has now raised more than $400,000 for the Hal Finney ALS Research Fund.
Hal never got to finish a marathon. On 1 November I’ll carry his name 42.2km through all five boroughs of New York. I’m running for him, and for every person and family living with ALS today.
Why it matters
Every 90 minutes, someone is diagnosed with ALS, and in that same time someone loses their battle with the disease. ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that can affect anyone at any time. The average life expectancy after diagnosis is 2 to 5 years, and there is still no cure.
Funds raised for ALS ONE, in partnership with ALS Network (home of the Hal Finney ALS Research Fund), support critical ALS research. They also provide care, resources and essential equipment for people living with ALS today.
Please consider donating in support of my run. No amount is too small. If you can’t give, sharing this page helps spread the word too.
For US donors, ALS Network is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organisation (Tax ID: 95-4163338).
Thank you for your support.
Richard
Running bitcoin for Hal.
