Boston Marathon is a multi-faceted event
Boston is gearing up to once again hold the annual Boston Marathon of 2010. The marathon was first held in 1987, and is a seminal event in the calendar of any serious marathon runner. Athletes from around the world have been training for the big day, and Boston will be visited by 20,000 professional and amateur runners for the event.
The Boston Marathon means big money for serious runners as well. It’s part of the World Marathon Majors, which includes similar marathons in four other cities (London, Chicago, Berlin and New York).
Athletes who compete in all five races and are among the first five to finish in each race accumulate points, which can translate into endorsements from athletics companies and sponsorship deals. The leading man and woman, those with the most points from all five races, stand to win $500,000.
It is no wonder then that the annual Boston Marathon is big for the city, with all major Boston news media covering the event, and the preparations for it.
But there is another side to the Boston Marathon. Like big marathons of this kind the world over (the Comrades Marathon in Durban, South Africa; the Siberian International Marathon; the Athens Marathon etc), and of course, the big five mentioned above, there are hundreds that take part with no hope of coming in the top five, or perhaps of even finishing.
These people, the amateur runners, take part for personal reasons, to see if they can actually manage the course, or in hopes of raising money for a worthy cause. This is perhaps the most important aspect of a big marathon such as this, the exposure it creates for the help of a particular charity, person or group of persons.
The Boston Marathon becomes a platform by which one lonely person can make a difference, it’s a cheesy catch-phrase, but it’s the truth. As a lone individual, it’s difficult to effect much change in the world, unless one is a multi-millionaire, it’s just not financially possible to build a home for the homeless, or pay for the treatment of a cancer sufferer.
But there are countless runners taking part in the Boston Marathon in the hope of raising some money for a charity of their choice. It’s a heavily rewarding, and yet physically and mentally exhausting undertaking. With their own sweat, energy and effort, they’ll see funds raised for someone who needs it, even if it’s only a few hundred dollars.
Such is the case with Marcy Rebello, Ryan Wittiq and Paul Zinn, three Somerville residents who plan to run in the Boston Marathon in order to raise money for the Children’s Hospital in Boston. They’re part of a group called Miles for Runners, a group of around 2000 runners who take part in marathons to raise funds for the Children’s Hospital’s greatest needs: medical research, the recruitment and training of staff, better patient care etc. Since 1996, they’ve raised $11 million.
Medway resident Christopher Smalley is going to run in the Boston Marathon, and it will be the first time he’s taken part in any marathon ever. He’s pushing himself physically and mentally to get through it in order to raise awareness for the Special Olympics. Smalley, 25, works with special needs children, and told Boston news media he wanted to push himself in the same way his kids have to push themselves every day.
“I've worked with the special needs community for years at the YMCA in Franklin, teaching swim,” he told the Milford Daily News. “Throughout my journey there, I've made some lifelong friends and I've seen firsthand how positive and strong they are. It's a huge inspiration in how I live every day.”
Cibolo resident John Teyhen is running the marathon for anyone in the country with a potentially deadly disease. He is part of the American Liver Foundation's Run for Research team, which is made up of 239 runners from 26 states. They’ll be raising money for countless American’s with liver disease.
There are hundreds of similar runners taking part in the marathon for similar reasons, to help someone they know or have heard about, and to prove to themselves that one person can make a small difference in the world, if they put in a big enough effort.
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Boston Spotlight
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Boston Marathon is a multi-faceted event
The Boston Marathon is a serious opportunity for professional marathon runners to prove themselves and for recreational runners to prove to themselves that they can do it. There is also the philanthropic side to the marathon though, with people taking part to make a difference.
Boston is gearing up to once again hold the annual Boston Marathon of 2010. The marathon was first held in 1987, and is a seminal event in the calendar of any serious marathon runner. Athletes from around the world have been training for the big day, and Boston will be visited by 20,000 professional and amateur runners for the event. Read more
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