Meet the members of the 2014 Franklin Park Coalition Boston Marathon team!
Runners in "blue" were members of our 2013 Boston Marathon team or runners from that race who have decided to train and fundraise with the Franklin Park Coalition again for the 2014 Boston Marathon.
Marc Almanzan
is an avid runner who has found his home in Jamaica Plain, right next to
Franklin Park. He believes that running
and nature are two of the best things that we can experience for ourselves,
especially amid the ultra-connected city lives we lead. He is certain that
running leads to sanity, health, and self-improvement that can translate to all
aspects of one's life. Marc believes
that with nature, running becomes an even deeper adventure into the self and
the world, as one can truly connect while being disconnected in the woods. He
is thankful to live in a community such as Jamaica Plain that has such an
abundance of green space, and he is grateful to the Franklin Park Coalition for
their mission to keep the park healthy and utilized by everyone who wishes to
enjoy it. To support Marc’s fundraising efforts, please visit: 
Lori Anderson
was born and raised in NJ and has lived in Boston for the last two years. She
experienced her first Marathon Monday watching on Boylston Street two years ago
and decided then she was going to run the Boston marathon herself one day. She is very excited and honored to have the
opportunity to run for Franklin Park Coalition this year. Lori is an assistant
professor of economics at Framingham State University. She has completed a number of triathlons,
half marathons, and one marathon. To support Lori’s fundraising efforts, please
visit: http://www.razoo.com/story/Fpcmarathoncharityteamlori2014
Julie Arrison is returning to the Franklin Park Coalition Marathon team for her third attempt at a "good" Boston Marathon. She is a longtime volunteer with the FPC and will be managing the team again this year. She is looking forward to the challenge of a team of 20+ runners who are all working for the same cause--supporting the amazing work of the FPC. The 2014 Boston Marathon will be Julie's eighth marathon and though it's sure to be an emotional event, running for a great cause will get her through. To support Julie's fundraising efforts, please visit: http://www.razoo.com/story/Fpcmarathoncharityteamjulie2014
Eddie Baker
is a veterinarian and current resident of Jamaica Plain. He has just moved back
after four years of living in Edinburgh, Scotland. Eddie grew up in Jamaica Plain and some of his
earliest memories are from playing in Franklin Park, whilst in pre-school. Throughout his childhood he has continuously
returned to the park. When he was ten,
he went to a day summer camp where Eddie met Tiger Woods, who was playing in an
amateur competition at the golf course.
Throughout high school he would go to White Stadium on Saturday mornings
in the fall to watch the football team play. He is not only grateful to have a
spot in the 2014 Boston Marathon but also really excited about the
opportunity to run for such a great organization. To support Eddie’s
fundraising efforts, please visit: 
Elizabeth
Belcher is a creative, passionate spirit best known for her zest and unique
approach to meeting goals. She spends her free time writing, making friends
with strangers, and getting lost geographically, in thought—sometimes both!
Elizabeth loves workouts, bicycle rides, color, texture, words, and books. She
works at Jones & Bartlett Learning, a publishing company in Burlington, and
at the front desk at Healthworks Fitness for Women. She is also a freelance
writer for Round Table Companies, a storytelling company.2014 has some special
events in store for Elizabeth, including her third Boston Marathon and her
marriage to her incredible partner, Rose. Elizabeth is training for her third
Boston Marathon season with the Franklin Park Coalition to celebrate the
strength of community and how Franklin Park provides people with essential
qualities for joyful living, such as nature, fitness, connection, opportunity,
empowerment, and compassion. To support
Elizabeth’s fundraising efforts, please visit: 
Javier Burgos
is a mechanical engineer who loves saving the environment and encouraging
sustainability, and so running for the Franklin Park Coalition was a natural
fit. As a career, Javier is devoted to
creating sustainable, efficient and natural buildings and communities. Encouraging use of parks and green spaces is
a big part of this. He has lived in
Cambridge, MA for nine years, and was introduced to the sport of running by his
younger sister. This is Javier's first
marathon and he can't think of a better one to start with than the 2014
marathon, which will be so special to all Boston residents. During his spare time, he also enjoys baking,
volunteering, playing sports, and salsa dancing. To support Javier’s efforts,
please visit: http://www.razoo.com/story/Fpcmarathoncharityteamjavier2014
Jasmin Burke’s motto to live by is, “Challenge your limits every day. Reset the bar when you reach it.” She started running short distances in triathlons and one day a friend said "let's do a half marathon". Running wasn’t something that came naturally, but she trained, got stronger, and found a new way to enjoy life! The last couple years running has brought Jasmin closer to knowing what she can strive for and accomplish. Besides running, Jasmin is addicted to hiking, biking, snow shoeing, and motorcycles. She lives in Quincy and works in Boston. To support Jasmin’s fundraising efforts, please visit:
Roxbury, just a few blocks from Franklin Park. Growing up in Central New York, Franklin Park provides Mike with a small slice of nature he’s used to while living in the city. The proximity to the park is one of the main reasons Mike and his wife Dana chose to make their home in the neighborhood and both of them love running in the park and taking friends and family to experience all it has to offer. Mike is grateful for all the work the Franklin Park Coalition does for the park, and the surrounding neighborhood, and has made a point of trying to introduce new people to the park. An attorney at Nutter McClennen & Fish in the Seaport District, Mike came late to running for fun and fitness after realizing that sitting at a desk all day was not conducive to staying in shape. You may also run into Mike biking all over the neighborhood. This is Mike’s first marathon and he is excited to be able to have the opportunity raise funds for the Franklin Park Coalition to help them preserve, improve, and advocate for the park. To support Mike’s fundraising efforts, please visit: http://www.razoo.com/story/Fpcmarathoncharityteammike2014
Jason Carraro lives
and trains on the north shore, he has been running for over 3 years now, completing
five marathons. This will be his third time as a member of the Franklin Park
team, he is very happy to a part of the team again. Jason is a father, who
enjoys concerts, cooking, good beer, being outside, watching the Pats, sox,
B’s, C’s and Manchester United. His favorite runner is Paula Radcliffe, who is
a world record holder and has graced the cross country course at Franklin Park.
To support Jason’s fundraising efforts, please visit:
Jared Egan is
a mobile software engineer, musician, wanna-be entrepreneur and of course a
runner. By day, he works on iOS applications for PayPal in Downtown Boston and
by night he plays guitar around the Boston area with his band, Sidewalk Driver.
Jared lives in Jamaica Plain and has spent much time running around Franklin
Park, the Arboretum, Forest Hills Cemetery, and up and down the Emerald
Necklace. Running around outside is never a bad use of an hour or two. This
will be his second Boston Marathon, and he is psyched that he'll once again
have the best view of the biggest party in Boston. This time he plans to finish
in the same socks he starts with. To support Jared’s fundraising
efforts, please visit:
Valerie Grabiel has lived within walking distance to Franklin Park for more than 15 years. In that time Franklin Park has been the backdrop for many seasonal celebrations, sledding adventures and afternoons at the zoo, playgrounds, and festivals for her and her family. Valerie took up running for the first time last January when challenged by her siblings to run the 2013 Chicago Marathon together. She met their challenge and with it discovered a new way to enjoy Franklin Park. She is thrilled to be joining the 2014 Franklin Park Coalition Boston Marathon Team to run a marathon in her own city while raising funds for the park she loves in her own backyard. Professionally, Valerie has been involved with a number or community and program development efforts, including a Main Streets program in JP. Amidst her training, work, and mornings rowing on the Charles River, she and her husband homeschool their three young children. They've already decided that this year their family will do a study unit on Franklin Park.To support Valerie’s
fundraising efforts, please visit: 
Shari Hewson
believes “the third time is a charm.”
Shari was a member of the 2012 inaugural Franklin Park Marathon Team and
enjoyed learning about Franklin Park and training with a great team for an
incredible organization. The record
breaking heat did not prevent her from finishing but did prevent her from her
goal time. She was again a member of the
FPC Team in 2013 where her efforts to finish were thwarted by the horrible
tragedy that unfolded at the finish line.
2014 will be the third time and hopefully the charm! Through all the curves and bumps, the FPC
team has been strong and a great support system for the runners. Shari cannot
imagine running the marathon “solo” – she appreciates all that FPC does for the
community and all that has been done for the marathon team. To support Shari’s
fundraising efforts, please visit:
Craig Kiest, a landscape architect from Portland, OR, is returning to the Franklin Park Coalition team not just as a runner who didn't cross the finish line, but as a runner who qualified for the 2014 Boston Marathon while completing his trek of 50 marathons across the 50 states. He is looking forward to finishing what he started in 2013 and raising money and awareness for a great cause, despite the miles between home and a great Olmsted park. To support Craig's fundraising efforts, please visit:
Quang Le used
to suffer extreme pain when he tried running more than a few miles--that was
nine years ago. After surgery to take care of a congenital problem, he has been
busy making up for all of those years of not running by participating in
ultramarathons and triathlons. Quang is part of a group that is attempting to
run 50 marathons in the 50 states and the 2014 Boston Marathon will check not
only Massachusetts from his list, but will be a great way to celebrate the
halfway point to reaching that goal. He is especially excited to run for the
Franklin Park Coalition with a group that is dedicated to the mission of the
park. With any free time leftover, you can find Quang enjoyed the great
outdoors on the Boston Harbor Islands, camping and kayaking. To support Quang’s
fundraising goals, please visit: 
Debbie Munson To support Debbie's fundraising efforts, please visit: http://www.razoo.com/story/Debbie-Runs-For-Franklin-Park
Derly Ortiz has
made Boston her home for over 25 years after emigrating from the Dominican
Republic. She enjoyed volunteering last
year at the Boston Marathon and has always dreamed of being able to run in the
iconic event. Derly found her passion in running more than 5 years ago. She has completed numerous half marathons and
with three marathons completed, is still counting! Derly is ecstatic to be running with the Franklin
Park Coalition and is looking forward to raising funds for a cause very close
to her community as well her family. To support Derly’s fundraising efforts,
please visit: http://www.razoo.com/story/Derly-Runs-Boston-For-Franklin-Park-Coalition
Jeanette
Robinson has lived in Jamaica Plain for three years. She is an attorney with an active practice in
Newton. After moving to JP from the
North End, her love of running blossomed. With Franklin Park practically in her
back yard, it became a frequent running destination. Running the Boston
Marathon has been a goal of Jeanette’s since she crossed the finish line at her
first half marathon. Jeanette looks forward to giving back to her community by
running the Boston Marathon for the Franklin Park Coalition. To support
Jeanette’s fundraising efforts, please visit: 
Laura Smeaton
is a resident of the Roslindale neighborhood of Boston. She works at Harvard School of Public Health
as a biostatistician for medical research in infectious diseases including
HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis, with a focus on women's health. She is also a League of American Bicyclists
Cycling Instructor and teaches bicycle safety through the Massachusetts Bicycle
Coalition. Laura enjoys Franklin Park
during all four seasons -- biking, running, cross-country skiing and
snowshoeing. She is thrilled to be a
part of the 2014 FPC Boston Marathon team! To support Laura’s fundraising
efforts, please visit: http://www.razoo.com/story/Fpcmarathoncharityteamlaura2014
My wife and I currently live in Canton which is about an hour east of Dallas. We own an Independent Insurance agency. Shawn is a member of the Canton city council and one of his
proudest achievements was seeing thru the process to obtain a $180,000 Texas Parks and Wildlife trails grant for a new trail in Canton. Shawn is thrilled to be fundraising for a Boston park and the parks in his city. To support two great greenspaces with one donation, please visit: http://www.razoo.com/story/Fpcmarathoncharityteamshawn2014
Richard Tabbut is returning to the Boston for the final marathon of a long and rewarding personal journey with running that spans over 40 years. Franklin Park is the hub of NE Cross Country Running and it holds a special place in his heart. Rich, "the Hammer” Tabbut decided to run the 2013 Boston Marathon, representing the Wicked Running Club of Salem and in honor of his mother as his first marathon since 1996. Due to the tragic events of April 15, he was stopped about ½ a mile from the finish. Rich has decided to return to run the Boston Marathon in 2014, not just to recapture the happy times with his runner friends or for a marathon “swan song,” but also to thank Boston for all the wonderful things that were done for all of us there on that fateful day and afterwards. To support Hammer’s fundraising efforts, please visit:
No comments:
Post a Comment