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Many Wellesley-ites are registered to take part in the 2023 Boston Marathon on April 18. Some have qualified by posting fast times in previous races, while others are participating to raise funds for charities in Wellesley and beyond.
Here’s a form you can fill out if you’d like us to include your Boston Marathon profile (including a link to your fundraising site) on this page. Please, only those who either live in Wellesley, or who are taking part in the race for a Wellesley charity, should fill this out. We’ll try to get entries added to this page within a day or two of receiving them.
Runner: Samuel Sanchez
Charity & fundraising page: World of Wellesley
Why you’re running for this cause: I am very excited to be running the 127th Boston Marathon for World of Wellesley and am asking for your help in fundraising for this incredible non-profit organization. Having moved to Wellesley Massachusetts not too long ago, I immediately found community amongst the many mission-driven individuals of World of Wellesley and its community members.
As a local non-profit, World of Wellesley remains committed to uplifting issues of social justice and to making Wellesley a more inclusive community. World of Wellesley has hosted numerous community discussions centering topics such as voting rights, anti-racism practice, and Native American history detailed from Indigenous perspective.
Additionally, World of Wellesley continues to promote and support the initiatives of many community organizations who share in the vision of a more inclusive community.
How many Boston Marathons have you run? 0
Fun fact about your running: I ran competitively in high school and college, and still very much enjoy running.
Runner: Michelle Hauck Shaw
Charity & fundraising page: Wellesley S.T.A.R.S. (Striving To Advance Recreational Services)
Why you’re running for this cause: My daughter Eleanor has neurological disabilities that make many town sports inaccessible. The activities—and social opportunities—are few and far between for kids with extensive special needs. To me, the largest challenge of parenting a special kiddo is finding opportunities for them to thrive in their community. Wellesley S.T.A.R.S. has an enormous impact on a small population that often goes overlooked in the community. Running along the course and fundraising in the community would bring awareness of the need for accessible athletics, connect families looking for adaptive swim, recruit volunteer coaches, and foster inclusion among our athletes on Boston’s biggest athletic day of the year. The funds I raise will allow us to purchase safety equipment tailored to the different disabilities in the group and create opportunities for our young swimmers. Special Olympics events are geared towards athletes 22 years of age and older although many of the members, including my daughter and her pals, are under 12. The funds would allow us to develop more activities for younger kids and help foster a community that will grow and provide opportunities in the decade before they mature into the Special Olympics demographic.
How many Boston Marathons have you done? 0
Fun fact about your running: This is my last race! I picked up a pesky autonomic nervous system disorder which makes it tricky to regulate my heart rate when I run hard… so Boston will be more of a slow jog celebration of my favorite past time, my favorite girl, and the importance of accessible sport. All people should be able to bask in the feelings of joy, accomplishment and camaraderie that running has brought me over the years.
Runner: Lauren Alverson
Charity & fundraising page: Team Brookline (Center for Mental Health)
Why you’re running for this cause: I am running to raise money and awareness for Team Brookline’s Center for Community Mental Health. I am dedicating this race to my lifelong friend Willy Sargent. He was a true adventurer at heart and a constant proponent of my many running endeavors.
How many Boston Marathons have you run? This will be my first!
Fun fact about your running: I once spent a winter to train and compete in a 20-mile snowshoe marathon at 11,380 feet in Leadville, CO. It was considered one of the most difficult winter events in the country. I finished in over six hours delirious with mild hypothermia, only to discover my snowshoes did not meet the official size requirement, so my name was disqualified from the list of finishers. I didn’t care though, I was so cold and tired I was just happy to be finished with all my fingers intact. I had a bowl of soup and drove four hours home through a snowstorm. It’s been ten years, two kids, and a knee surgery since my days of adventure racing, and could not be more excited for the Boston Marathon.
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