Learning Ally is proud to announce our selection as an Official Charity Partner of the 2026 TCS New York City Marathon. On Sunday, November 1, our team of dedicated runners will take on the legendary 26.2-mile journey through all five boroughs to transform dyslexia outcomes.
Team Learning Ally includes three long distance runners who are passionate about improving outcomes for students who read differently:
Not a runner? You can still fuel the journey. Every dollar raised through our peer-to-peer giving campaigns directly supports our mission to improve dyslexia outcomes.
Give Today: Donate to our team or support a specific runner’s campaign. Your support helps us bridge the literacy gap for students and communities nationwide.
For the 1 in 5 students with learning differences, learning can feel like an uphill race without a finish line.
By joining our team, you are helping us provide the tools—including our library of over 75,000 human-read audio e-books—that students need to run their own race towards literacy.
Esayas is a dedicated endurance athlete who has completed five marathons and multiple ultra-distance races since beginning his running journey three years ago. For Esayas, running is a transformative practice of perseverance and resilience—values that directly mirror the strength of the learners and families supported by Learning Ally.
Driven by a professional and personal commitment to disability inclusion, Esayas chose to run for Team Learning Ally because of the organization’s authentic impact on educational equity. He is honored to champion this mission, viewing each mile as a collective declaration that access and belonging are worth every ounce of sustained effort.
Jessica first connected with Learning Ally through her son’s journey with dyslexia, witnessing firsthand the transformative power of the right educational resources. After years of advocating for her son’s needs, she is now running to raise money so that other children can access the same opportunities to thrive. For Jess, this race is a deeply personal mission to represent her son and the greater dyslexia community with pride.
An experienced endurance athlete, Jess previously completed 75 miles of a cross-country ultra-marathon relay, helping to raise over $17,000 for charity. She sees this upcoming marathon as her “Misogi Challenge”—a daunting task designed to test her limits while fueling a cause she believes in. Jess is honored to run for Team Learning Ally, advocating for literacy and the empowerment of all types of learners.
A former Division I collegiate athlete, she carries the “student-athlete” mindset into her career as a resident physician. After completing eight marathons—including a top 6% finish at the 2025 Boston Marathon—and three ultramarathons, she views distance running as a vital way to process the challenges of medical training. For her, every mile is a lesson in grit and a celebration of the privilege of movement.
Through her medical practice, she has seen firsthand how limited literacy and a lack of support for neurodivergent learners can directly impact overall health and well-being. By running the New York City Marathon with Team Learning Ally, she aims to bridge the gap between education and health, championing the mission to provide every student with the resources needed to build lifelong independence and confidence.
The TCS New York City Marathon is produced by New York Road Runners (NYRR), the world’s premier community running organization. Since its inception in 2006, the Official Charity Partner Program has raised nearly $700 million for more than 1,000 nonprofits around the world.