Welcome to the 2013 Team, Margaret!

The newest member of the 2013 Franklin Park Coalition Boston Marathon Charity team is Margaret Newell. Margret hails from East Boston. She is a guidance counselor at Everett High School and strives to set a good example for he students. Because of this, Margaret is very exited to join the Franklin Park Coalition Team this year and to help support efforts to provide families, especially youth, a safe place to run, walk, participate in activities, or just be together. She has been running on again, off again for years and has quite the resume including 12 half marathons, 5 sprint distance triathlons, and 2 Boston Marathons with Wediko Children's Services . When not putting miles on her feet, 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.

Need a Reason to Run with Franklin Park? Try Personalized Coaching.

One of the best perks about the Franklin Park Coalition Boston Marathon Charity Team is the individualized attention our runners receive both in the fundraising world and the running world. Whether you are a seasoned marathon veteran or a newbie looking to try their luck with 26.2 miles, our coach will guide you through the experience and help you get to Marathon Monday.

Michael Toomey, an experienced individual, collegiate and high school running coach, is USATF certified and a six time NEC coach of year. He currently is the indoor and outdoor girls head track coach at Marblehead High School where in 2010 and 2011 he earned Salem News Coach of the Year honors. As a private coach, he focuses his attention on on the Boston running community through on-line programs, city-wide clinics and the Wicked Running Club – a local running club he helped start in 2004. Mike works with athletes of all levels from beginners to experienced recreational athletes to world-class runners.

Mike has agreed to assist with coaching the FPC Marathon on a volunteer basis. To learn more about his business, please visit http://www.mypersonalrunningcoach.com/. Mike can be contacted via email at mike@mypersonalrunningcoach.com.

Seeking Raffle and Auction Prizes for the 2013 Franklin Park Coalition Boston Marathon Team

Our team will host anywhere from 10-15 fundraisers in the Boston area over the next five months and we need your help! We are seeking prizes that can be used at fundraisers for raffle items and also for our online auctions.

All donors will receive a listing on this site as well as social media postings from the Franklin Park Coalition. Runners will be encouraged to also share information about your business through their own networks and event promotions. Many of the runner events drew over 100 people per event last year, so a small donation can be a big investment for promotion.

Your donation also helps the Franklin Park Coalition continue to make the park great for all who use it. Last year's team raised over $60,000 which was put right back into the park by way of youth jobs, sporting equipment for youth nights, restoration of historic park features, and more.

Please contact Marathon Charity Team Leader, Julie Arrison, at julie@franklinparkcoalition.org to pledge your support to the team. No prize donation to small...or too big!

Space is Filling Up Fast

If you are still looking to run in the 2013 Boston Marathon, we have space available for you! Not only will you be running for a wonderful cause, but you you will surrounded by a wonderful team of runners and a supportive staff from the Franklin Park Coalition determined to help you reach your fundraising goals.

Fill out an application today. If you'd like to learn more about our program, please contact our Marathon Charity Team Leader, Julie Arrison, at julie@franklinparkcoalition.org.

2012 Team Impact:

Thanks to the Franklin Park Coalition Boston Marathon runners, we are able to support an Americorps member this year who will increase the number of young people who come to the park for service and play.

The staff are happy to welcome Allison Postlethwait, also a runner and volleyball player, who is originally from Massachusetts, but went to college at Virginia Tech, majoring in communications. Within a few days of starting, Allison worked with twelve 5th graders from the nearby Neighborhood School clearing invasive buckthorn trees. Next week 25 8th graders will spend the day in the park, planting daffodil bulbs, saving oak trees from prickly
catbrier and as always, pulling buckthorn and picking up litter. Then they'll hike through the Wilderness, picnic, and celebrate with a giant kickball game before heading back to school.

Allison looks great in her FPC sweatshirt and is excited to be spending beautiful fall
days in the park.

Group Runs: One of Many Perks of the FPC Boston Marathon Charity Team

One of the biggest perks and greatest parts about the 2012 Franklin Park Coalition Boston Marathon Charity Team was taking advantage of a group run schedule. Each week, members of the team were able to gather and build mileage together, while talking about the joys of fundraising and working for the good of the Coalition as well as learning about their fellow teammates. Our group runs took us along the sea through Salem and Beverly on the North Shore, on the track at Reggie Lewis, and through the streets of the Boston Marathon Course. We also raced together at the Great Stew Chase in Lynn and the Hyannis Half Marathon on Cape Cod. 

Through these runs, we were able to build lasting friendships and many have trained and raced together throughout the summer and fall months. Our coaching was provided by Mike Toomey of Toomey Sports Running Center and we were able to share the highs and lows of training for the world's greatest marathon with one of the area's greatest coaches.

If you're look for a charity to run and have fun with, we hope you'll check us out! 

Team Spirit in the Brighton Bangers Running Club

Laura Derderian was a member of the 2012 Franklin Park Coalition Boston Marathon team (pictured to the left with returning team member Shari Hewson). She and her husband Arra were so inspired by the camaraderie from the team and from members of the Forest Hills Runners in JP and the Wicked Running Club in Salem that they set out to form their own club in their nook of Brighton--the Brighton Bangers.

Group runs go on Wednesday nights and Saturday mornings with an optional rehydration stop at the infamous Last Drop. The group has been growing over the summer months and Laura and Arra hope to keep the momentum up. Both have felt extremely rewarded in working with both experienced and inexperienced runners and helping all to meet their goals while getting fit and having fun.

Arra and 2012 team member Owen Kendall hitting
the Atlantic in February for a post Hyannis
Half Marathon Ice Bath.

If you want to be a part of the 2013 Boston Marathon team, those are certainly our goals, too--be fit and have fun. We offer an incredible amount of support both on the run and for your fundraising and encourage you to contact our Marathon Charity Team Leader, Julie Arrison, at julie@franklinparkcoalition.org to learn more.

In the meantime, if you find yourself in Brighton on some Wednesday night with the need for a run, find the Bangers for a good time. (http://www.brightonbangers.com/).