Special to the Patriot-Bridge
On April 20, Mary Shertenlieb from Charlestown, Massachusetts, is running to defy cancer as a member of the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge team in the 130th Boston Marathon® presented by Bank of America, along with more than 500 Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge teammates from across the country and around the world, will run Massachusetts’ historic marathon route from Hopkinton to Boston to collectively raise more than $8.75 million for cancer research at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
This year marks the 37th annual running of the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge (DFMC), the largest and longest-running charity team for the Boston Marathon. One hundred percent of the funds raised by the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge team benefit Dana-Farber’s Claudia Adams Barr Program in Innovative Basic Cancer Research, which enables promising scientific research in its earliest stages. The Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge has raised more than $140 million for the program since 1990.
Runners include cancer survivors and patients, and family and friends of those who have been affected by cancer. Each team member must fulfill a basic fundraising commitment:
• Invitational runners – runners who receive their entry from Dana-Farber have a minimum fundraising commitment of $12,000
• Own entry runners – runners who have joined the DFMC team after obtaining their own race entry have a fundraising commitment of $4,000.
Dana-Farber was among the first charity organizations to be recognized by the Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A), which organizes the Boston Marathon. The Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge team offers its members extensive fundraising support, team training runs, exclusive Dana-Farber events, and a post-race recovery zone. Celebrating his 50th anniversary of winning the 1976 Boston Marathon Men’s Open Division, Jack Fultz will serve as the team training advisor for the 37th time. Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge runners who are not time-qualified for the Boston Marathon receive an invitational entry into the race.
To contribute to the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge, visit RunDFMC.org or contact the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge staff at (617) 632-1970 or [email protected]. Follow DFMC on Facebook: www.facebook/marathonchallenge.
Since its inception in 1990, the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge has raised more than $140 million for the Claudia Adams Barr Program in Innovative Basic Cancer Research. Dana-Farber Trustees J. Wayne and Delores Barr Weaver founded the program in 1987 to honor Mrs. Weaver’s mother, Claudia Adams Barr, who lost her battle with cancer 30 years earlier.
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is one of the world’s leading centers of cancer research and treatment. Dana-Farber’s mission is to reduce the burden of cancer through scientific inquiry, clinical care, education, community engagement, and advocacy. Dana-Farber is a federally designated Comprehensive Cancer Center and a teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School.
Dana-Farber is the only hospital nationwide with a top 3 U.S. News & World Report Best Cancer Hospital ranking in both adult and pediatric care.
As a global leader in oncology, Dana-Farber is dedicated to a unique and equal balance between cancer research and care, translating the results of discovery into new treatments for patients locally and around the world, offering more than 1,200 clinical trials.