ABOUT US

AxESS – Athletes for Equity & Sustainability in Sport is an international non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring every athlete can claim their space at the starting line. We dismantles the systemic, physical, and financial barriers to global marathons by funding individual journeys and partnering with race organizers to build a world where every course is universally accessible and inclusive by design.
We believe that true inclusion is not passive accommodation or charity, but a cornerstone of athletic integrity that requires intentional, rigorous design. The AxESS vision fundamentally demands an ecosystem engineered for all. Inclusion cannot be piecemeal. A truly equitable starting line ensures that no individual—whether sidelined by physical impairment, visual impairment, or systemic exclusion based on gender identity—is made to feel like an asterisk on the results sheet.

Every athlete training for a marathon or half marathon commits the same grit, discipline, and sweat. Their arena must honor that dedication by providing valid, respected, and equal pathways to compete, score, and be celebrated.

THE FOUNDERS

Thomas Eller

Co-Founder | The Vision

Based in Essen, Germany, Thomas is a deaf-born educator, world-class athlete, and a trailblazer who has been at the absolute forefront of making global road races more inclusive for the past decade. Professionally, Thomas serves as a specialized teacher for deaf students, a role that anchors his daily commitment to communication equity and empowering the next generation.
His impact on endurance running is unprecedented: he is the first deaf-born athlete to complete the Abbott World Marathon Majors circuit—an achievement he has conquered four times. Beyond the pavement, Thomas is a strategic architect of systemic change. He is mastermind behind the inclusive protocols and operational standards now adopted across all 8 World Marathon Majors, as well as landmark races in Valencia, Amsterdam, and beyond.
Through AxESS, Thomas transforms his elite racing legacy into a global platform for institutional progress—ensuring the world’s greatest races move beyond mere “accommodation” to create true equity and belonging for every athlete.

Matteo Anson Valeri

Co-Founder | The Witness

Based in Malmö, Sweden, Matteo is the structural architect of the AxESS vision. An international legal counsel by profession, he brings a decade of non-profit leadership and legal strategy devoted to removing architectural barriers and advancing independent living to the fight for sporting equity.
As a marathon veteran and 6-Star World Marathon Major Finisher, Matteo recognized early on that while the road itself may be the same for every runner, the path to the start line is not—and that the vast majority of global races are still neither welcoming nor structured for true accessibility. Having shared thousands of miles across the globe alongside Thomas and diverse athletic communities, he witnessed firsthand the systemic, financial and logistical barriers that continue to sideline talent. Through AxESS, Matteo leverages his legal and strategic expertise to transform inclusion from a charitable act into a permanent global benchmark, ensuring race infrastructure is built for everyone.

OUR MISSION

Our mission is built on two pillars:

Individual Access:
Financial Equity & Logistical Freedom

The Equal Start Grant directly neutralizes the invisible extra financial strain—the Disability Tax—that places an unfair burden on athletes specifically due to their disability, medical condition, or adaptive needs. By fully funding specialized equipment transport, adapted logistics, and essential support team of choice through the “Plus One” Protocol, we eliminate the secondary costs associated with competing with a disability. We guarantee that no athlete’s choice, dignity, or athletic potential is dictated by the financial cost of their condition.

We ensure that the path to the start line is as fair and open as the race itself.

Universal Access:
Institutional & Structural Equity

True inclusion requires changing the environment, not just helping individuals navigate a flawed system. Through our institutional advocacy, we partner directly with race organizers to embed universal design, structural representation, and genuine belonging into global event infrastructure. Our work ensures that world-class marathons actively welcome every runner—regardless of background, identity, or physical ability—shifting the participant experience from “Can I race?” to “I belong here.” To codify these standards, we developed The Purple Book as the definitive global operational benchmark. Beginning in 2027, we will audit and award the AxESS Seal of Inclusion across Gold, Silver, and Bronze tiers to recognize races based on their degree of alignment with these established framework criteria.
We are not merely building a temporary bridge for a few to cross; we are re-engineering the road so that everyone can run on it freely and independently.