Ashley Culp

I'm fundraising in honor of my Mother, June Culp and my Aunt Carmelita Culp!

I ran my first marathon, the LA Marathon in 2022, for the Alzheimer's Association, because my mother June was facing the disease and I felt helpless watching from a distance. Running gave me somewhere to put the pain, the helplessness, and the love, and a way to make it meaningful and help others facing a similar road.

My Mom passed in 2023, and my Aunt Carmelita in September 2025. Continuing in the spirit of channeling my love for these two special women, I'm bringing that passion to New York City this Fall. It feels like exactly the right place and time.

I spent 14 combined years in New York City, some of the most formative of my life. Graduate school, early career, late nights, big dreams. And my mother loved this city almost as much as I did. She visited me often, walking the streets of Manhattan, soaking up the energy, the music, the theater, the pure New York vibe. She was there for Christmases, sightseeing, my graduation. My whole family made pilgrimages to this city because Mom led the way. She even lived through the legendary 1977 blackout, up in Harlem. New York is woven into our family story, and she is woven into mine.

Aunt Carmelita loved the city too. She came sightseeing on her own terms, and her work as a buyer for a top US department store brought her to New York and major cities around the world. A woman who moved through this world with style and purpose.

Running 26.2 miles through these streets on November 1st is a deeply personal journey down memory lane. It coincides with my turning 60 this year, and I'll be running as a son, a brother, an uncle, a nephew, a friend, and as a tribute to two women who loved and shaped me in ways I'm still discovering.

Many of us have someone we love touched by this disease. I understand all the feelings that come with that. When I cross that finish line, I'm running for Mom and Carmelita, and for your family too.

Please consider supporting my efforts. Every dollar benefits the Alzheimer's Association's research, care, and support programs, advancing methods of treatment, prevention, and ultimately a cure.

Thank you for joining the fight.