Work up a sweat and do good? That’s what the GO90 is all about. Life Time has partnered with Augie’s Quest, a nonprofit organization dedicated to funding innovative research for finding effective treatments and ultimately a cure for ALS, to host this movement-centered event at its athletic country clubs across the country on Saturday, September 28, 2024.
The GO90 is a 90-minute workout experience, symbolic of the fact that someone is diagnosed with ALS roughly every 90 minutes. All the funds raised will go to Augie’s Quest and the Life Time Foundation, Life Time’s nonprofit organization with the mission of supporting youth nutrition and movement as well as forestation and conservation.
To get all the details about the cause and the GO90 event, we spoke with Sarah Emola, executive director of the Life Time Foundation and ESG programs at Life Time, and Matt Teske, business development manager for the Life Time Foundation.
Life Time | What is Augie’s Quest?
Matt Teske | Augie’s Quest is a nonprofit organization founded by Augie Nieto, a former athlete who founded the organization in 2005 following his own diagnosis with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) that same year.
Nieto cofounded Life Fitness, [the fitness equipment company that] our members are likely familiar with from using the machines in our clubs. He was also behind Lifecyle and Octane Fitness. He passed away on February 22, 2023. That March, his wife, Lynne Nieto, took over the role as chairman of the board for Augie’s Quest.
Augie’s Quest is dedicated to finding a cure for ALS and focuses on raising funds for ALS research, supporting and collaborating with ALS researchers and institutions around the world, increasing awareness of the complex and devastating disease, and providing support for those living with the disease to help improve their quality of life.
LT | Can you tell me about the Life Time GO90 event?
MT | GO90 is a nationwide event taking place at Life Time athletic country clubs across the United States on September 28. It’s intent is to raise awareness and funds for ALS research through Augie’s Quest, as well as to help fund the mission of the Life Time Foundation.
Each club will host a 90-minute marquee workout and post-event social. The length of the event was thoughtfully chosen to symbolize that someone is diagnosed with ALS roughly every 90 minutes.
The 90-minute circuit-style workout will feature the programming of one or more of Life Time’s signature group training formats. Depending on the club, participants may have the option to either participate in a 90-minute session of a single format or a mashup of multiple formats — your club may offer an Ultra Fit and GTX mashup or Alpha Strength and Alpha Conditioning mashup, for example. Check your club’s schedule to see what the event options are at your club location. (Learn more about the formats: “What’s Your Signature Group Training Class Personality?”)
The $25 registration fee benefits both Augie’s Quest and the Life Time Foundation. The aim of GO90 is to unite our club communities through fitness and provide financial and emotional support to the fight against ALS.
LT | How are Life Time and the Life Time Foundation connected to Augie’s Quest — and how did that partnership come about?
MT | Augie Nieto was a friend of Bahram Akradi, Life Time’s founder, chairman, and CEO. In his postdiagnosis life, Nieto was dedicated to advancing research and finding a cure for ALS, inspiring countless people. Although Nieto passed away in 2023, his legacy lives on through the work of Augie’s Quest.
The Life Time Foundation is the lead organizer of the GO90 event. In addition to funds raised through the $25 event registration fee, we’ll also be raising money through donations at the LifeCafe, where Life Time members have the option to add a 90-cent donation on top of their purchases from Sept. 1 through Sept. 28, 2024. They can also make direct donations through our online platform.
Sarah Emola | Augie Nieto was a fitness industry icon for decades. Upon his own diagnosis, he started Augie’s Quest as a nonprofit to be able to find a cure for ALS — and that organization has now been around for nearly 20 years. This particular nonprofit has had the support of the broader fitness industry for years, and we want to keep that support going.
Augie’s Quest has been able to do a lot of amazing work to support the efforts to find a cure for ALS because of who Nieto was and the relationships and reputation he built in the fitness industry.
ALS impacts your muscular system initially. Every person who is in our Life Time clubs — members and team members — can attest to how important it is to have the ability to use our muscles. We’re in the fitness industry and we want to do our part to support. Finding a cure for ALS is something that is really important to us as a company at Life Time.
The event is a perfect partnership to do with the Life Time Foundation with our mission to inspire healthy people and a healthy planet.
A Life Time Member and Team Member’s Personal Experience With ALS
Shawn and Andrea Sarbacker met online in March 2021 and got married on August 10, 2022. Their love story includes more challenge and commitment than many other couples.
Shawn, 57, was a lifelong fitness and athletics aficionado. He grew up in Minnesota playing football, baseball, and hockey. As an adult, he continued his fitness efforts by participating in CrossFit, group fitness classes, and cycling. “I was always a super healthy individual — to the point that I barely went to my primary care doctor,” he recalls.
In August 2020, Shawn began noticing he could no longer perform regular daily tasks such as clipping his fingernails or buttoning his pants. “I started experiencing muscle twitches, muscle cramping, and a loss of grip strength,” he says.
Shawn’s symptoms persisted and worsened in the following weeks, prompting him to search his symptoms on the internet. “ALS continued to pop up — ALS, ALS, ALS — and I said to myself, Holy shit, this is bad.”
He began pursuing a diagnosis, but it took a while: There were a lot of causes his doctors had to rule out first. Three months after noticing his symptoms, Shawn was formally diagnosed with ALS — and told his life expectancy was two to five years.
“It was terrifying,” he says. “I curled up in a ball for about a month. Then around New Years, I came to the realization that I could either make the decision to waste away or choose to live my life — living every day, squeezing the most out of every moment I could. I chose the latter.”
Shawn began online dating and committed to telling whomever he was dating about his diagnosis on the fourth date. He recalls sharing with one woman upon reaching that milestone: “It was as if her head exploded,” he says. “She walked away. But, that opened the door for me to meet Andrea.”
When Andrea came along, and a fourth date was scheduled, he was nervous to tell her based on his previous experience. But Andrea surprised him with her response: “I was put on this earth to take care of people.”
The two have been together ever since.
Andrea, 46, started teaching fitness classes at a young age and currently teaches at Life Time in Ardmore, Pa. “As an instructor, I get to nurture people in so many ways,” she says. “I believe in people’s resolutions. I love watching the best of humanity show up to every one of my classes. Fitness has been a gift that’s kept me going through my own darkest moments so I could find the love of my life, Shawn. And in return, he takes care of me too. He always makes sure I feel heard, valued, and respected.”
It’s now been four years since Shawn was diagnosed with ALS. “Relative to the ‘typical’ ALS patient, I’m doing exceptionally well,” he says. “I’m working a very high-level executive job, traveling the world, and maintaining an active lifestyle both physically and socially.”
He attributes his current health status to a combination of factors: He thinks his particular form of the disease is slower progressing than most; he receives exceptional care at Massachusetts General Hospital Healey Center where he participates in several cutting-edge ALS therapies; and he believes his positive outlook on life — which is fostered by his Andrea and his friends — plays a role in the disease’s slow progression.
“I can’t button my pants by myself and sometimes I need help cutting a steak,” he says. “I still work out — I put the pin in the 5-pound plate and smile and do my presses. I do what I can.”
In the grand scheme of things, he notes, he’s much better off having had access to cutting-edge therapies, which he credits to Augie’s Quest.
“Augie’s Quest is one of the leading foundations for pushing the research agenda forward for ALS,” Shawn says. “Augie [Nieto] understood this is a rare disease. We have to help the industry move forward. And for people like me, our only shot at living a full life and possibly a cure is the type of fundraising that you all are going to participate in at the GO90 event at Life Time. You have our deepest appreciation for making this happen. I’m still hopeful — I’m staying in the game.”
