The 2013 FPC Boston Marathon Charity Team

Congratulations to all of our runners on the 2013 Franklin Park Coalition Boston Marathon team. Together, the team raised over $56,000 to support youth, athletics, art, culture, and preservation in Franklin Park. 

Our 2013 runners who did not have the opportunity to cross the finish line on April 15, 2013 have been invited to run in the 2014 Boston Marathon. The Franklin Park Coalition thanks the Boston Athletic Association for recognizing the hard work of all runners who were unable to finish by allowing them the opportunity to run in 2014.

Julie Arrison will be returning to the FPC Boston Marathon team as both the Charity Team Leader and runner for a second year in a row. The 2012 Boston Marathon was one of the toughest challenges in Julie's short running career and she feels the Boston course owes her something...and also wants to see friends and family along the way with a smile on her face versus a look of heat exhaustion. Her fundraising will focus on the youth programs at the FPC this year. "I was always lucky to have trips to playgrounds and parks with my parents and grandparents growing up. Not everyone is so lucky. Franklin Park can truly provide a place for kids to run, have fun, earn money, make friends, and share in a positive environment." To support Julie's second year of fundraising efforts, please visit her fundraising page: http://www.razoo.com/story/Fpcmarathoncharityteamjulie2013.

Elizabeth Belcher is back for Boston, take two. A knee injury left her watching and cheering on the sidelines last April, but six months of physical therapy combined with a torturous zero-running stint has paid off. Elizabeth is eager to jump back into training and complete two milestones this spring: graduating from Wheelock College and running the Boston Marathon for FPC. Both feats took her more time than she anticipated; nevertheless, Elizabeth conjured the motivation to keep persisting despite various setbacks. To support Elizabeth's fundraising efforts, please visit: http://www.razoo.com/story/Fpcmarathoncharityteamelizabethb

Dani Bialas, a.k.a. Yogi Dani, grew up and raised her family in Melrose, Mass. After the birth of her second child she re-entered the fitness world as a trainer, eventually starting up the practice of yoga and opening her own studio—Yoga in Me—in Medford, Mass. Dani was a runner in college and through the 90’s ran 5K’s, 10K’s, the Army 10 Miler, the infamous Falmouth Road Race, and numerous half marathons. Most recently, Dani completed the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, D.C.—with an impending hurricane chasing her for 26.2 miles.

Dani gained a fondness for Franklin Park while her son ran high school cross country. She likens the start of a meet on the Playstead to a “Braveheart” style charge. After completing her own BAA Half Marathon with a finish in White Stadium, her love just continued to grow. For more info on Dani visit DaniRunsBoston2013.US. To support Dani’s fundraising efforts, please visit: http://www.razoo.com/story/Danirunsboston2013

 


 An avid cyclist, Cindy Brennan has just completed a season racing cyclocross for local organization Bikes Not Bombs, and is training for her first marathon. Running for the Franklin Park Coalition was an obvious choice, since she is not only an active person with a love for green space, she is also a librarian interested in historic preservation. Cindy is a major fan of Frederick Law Olmsted and of Franklin Park, the crown jewel of Olmsted's Emerald Necklace park system. A resident of Roxbury and Jamaica Plain for the past five years, she has spent many hours running, cycling, and strolling through the park, her favorite respite from the city's bustle. To support Cindy's fundraising efforts, please visit: http://www.razoo.com/story/Cindy-S-Running-The-Boston-Marathon-For-Franklin-Park

Jason Carraro was honored to be a member of the inaugural Franklin Park marathon team. Over the course of training he came to learn a lot about Franklin Park, its history and the function of the FPC. Because of time spent not just training with the team but also visiting the Playhouse int he Park and a night with the members of the 2012 Summer Youth Conservation Crew, he got to see how members of the community love the park and just what is supported by the fundraising efforts. The night with the Youth Crew reinforced Jay's desire to come back for a second year. Whether it was stories from the camping trip, hearing about the joys of receiving first paychecks, or knowing the many of the teens learned about the values of hard work, his decision was simple. Jay also agrees with the FPC's new program area of Health and Fitness in Franklin Park. He started running 2.5 years ago with the desire to lead a healthier lifestyle, but learned to appreciate the physical and mental benefits of running and the camaraderie shared amongst runners. The 2013 Boston Marathon will be Jay's 4th marathon and 2nd Boston and he is eager to jump into training as well as making the infamous right on Hereford and left on Boylston. To support Jay's fundraising efforts, please visit: http://www.razoo.com/story/Fpcmarathoncharityteamjason2013

Michelle Collier is from NH and enjoys spending time outdoors and loves the city of Boston. Michelle has hiked 46 of NHs 48 4000 footers and has played ice hockey on the Lady Monarchs who were the 2011 USA Hockey National Runners up team. Michelle has been a runner since high school and ran a cross country race in Franklin Park and competed in several Boston Road Races and the Maine Marathon. Most recently Michelle has been competing in Sprint Triathlons and has competed in two National Events just missing representing the USA at worlds in 2011. This year Michelle will be focused on raising money for Franklin Park and training for the Boston Marathon which she will run on her Birthday. Michelle believes everyone should have a chance to get outside and play in a safe environment. To support Michelle's fundraising efforts, please visit: http://www.razoo.com/story/Fpcmarathoncharityteammichelle

Shari Hewson Boston again!  Yes, Shari has unfinished business with Boston.  Shari turned 50 this year and running the Boston Marathon was on her bucket list so she joined the 2012 Franklin Park Coalition Team and eagerly trained and raised funds.  As we all know, the weather was not quite cooperative for a successful day.  As a result, she is back for another attempt!  Shari resides in Beverly with her husband Ken and son Kyle.   She works at Cell Signaling Technology, Inc. in Danvers and is a member of the Wicked Running Club in Salem.  When not training she is cheering for Kyle at his various sports events and spending time with her family and friends. To support Shari's fundraising efforts, please visit: http://www.razoo.com/story/Fpcmarathoncharityteamshari2013

Owen Kendall loves running. He thinks it’s the best metaphor he’s ever found for life - or life for it: if you work at it a little bit every day, you improve, but even while you’re improving, you’ll have some rough patches here and there. Owen is one of the cofounders of Forest Hills Runners, a free community running group that runs through Franklin Park every week. He’s therefore running for the Franklin Park Coalition (FPC) because he thinks Franklin Park an awesome place and, as a third year medical student at Boston University interested in preventative medicine, he hugely admires what the FPC does. Obesity, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure (all linked) are the leading causes of illness not only in this country, but worldwide, even though they can be controlled through consistent exercise. One major reason these things are so common today is that young people and adults alike frequently don’t have safe places to run around and be active. Owen loves what the FPC is doing to consistently improve the park for all Bostonians, while also introducing Franklin Park and all it has to offer to a more diverse population. He couldn’t be happier running the 2013 Boston Marathon for the FPC to raise awareness for the wonderful work they do. To support Owen's fundraising efforts, please visit:

On December 5, 2008 Craig Kiest at the age of 53 ran his first mile since PE class in high school. As of December 28, 2012, Craig has run 44 marathons in 34 states and 6 continents. As a native Oregonian with three grown children and a 30 year career as a landscape architect, running has become a rewarding avocation. With interests in gardens and architecture, running a marathon gives a unique opportunity to see the world without traffic - from Big Sur to the bridges of New York City. Between running marathons there is time for family, hiking, biking, snowboarding and a glass of wine. To support Craig's fundraising efforts, please visit:

Peter Marr has moved, shaked, surfed, ran and contemplated on six of the seven continents.  Traveling deep into the Ecuadorian rain forest to visit a Shaman, trekking for days on a camels back through the Northern African Sahara desert finding distant nomadic Berber villages and free diving off the coast of Australia on the great barrier reef swimming with sea turtles. In 2010 he finished climbing every mountain in New Hampshire with at least a 4000 foot peak and has started hiking them again with his dog.  For years before growing light roots in Boston he threw himself into a van for months on stretch and would travel the world playing in a punk/metal band that went to almost every state in the U.S, Scotland, England, Whales, Canada, Australia and Puerto Rico. Peter Marr has taken a great interest in running the Boston Marathon, watching family and friends run in the last few years.  To support Pete's fundraising efforts, please visit: http://www.razoo.com/story/Running-The-Boston-Marathon-2013

Kevin Meehan is from Quincy, MA. He currently works at Tufts University at The Fletcher School. He started running 2 and a half years ago. After running three half marathons in the Spring of 2012 he realized that it might be time to try the full 26.2. Picking November 2012 in Philadelphia as the spot to do it in as he sees it as a second home. After cheering on the runners in Boston last year he realized he wanted to be there too recently. He is looking forward to raising money for a cause that means something to him as he is a Boston boy at heart who loves nature and photography. To support Kevin's fundraising efforts, please visit: http://www.razoo.com/story/Kevin-S-Running-The-Boston-Marathon-For-Franklin-Park

Margaret Newell is very exited to join the Franklin Park Coalition Team this year. She is honored to help support their efforts to provide families, especially youth, a safe place to run, walk, participate in activities, or just be together. A resident of East Boston, Margaret has been running off and on since high school and completed 12 half marathons, 5 sprint triathlons and the 2010 and 2011 Boston Marathons. She loves working at Everett High School as a guidance counselor and strives to set a good example for her students. In addition to running, Margaret likes to spend time with family and friends (particularly if there is a beach involved) and hanging out with her 6 year old Portuguese Water Dog, Buoy.  To support Margaret's fundraising efforts, please visit: http://www.razoo.com/story/Margaret-Is-On-The-2013-Franklin-Park-Coalition-Marathon-Team

Carleen Tucker lives in Hyde Park with her husband Marc and four beautiful children--Taj, 18; Maxwell, 7; and twins Jackson and Brooklyn, 3. Carleen lives for her family and is overjoyed to have an opportunity to run for the Franklin Park Coalition for a second year. As a member of the Board of Trustees for the Coalition, she's especially thrilled after seeing first hand the impact that my teams' fundraising has had on youth in Boston. To support Carleen's fundraising efforts, please visit: www.razoo.com/story/FPCMarathonCharityTeamCarleenTucker2013. 

 

To be a part of the 2013 Franklin Park Coalition Boston Marathon Team, please fill out an application:

2013 Franklin Park Coalition Boston Marathon Team Application

2013 Franklin Park Coalition Boston Marathon Application for Runners who have Secured Entry Elsewhere