.....My friends' generosity was overwhelming.  They donated over $3,300 and I spent the next three years running off my part of the bargain.  (I also grew a beard)  Instead of a single marathon, I ended up training for and running five, as well as two ultra-marathons and scores of shorter races.  To let my friends know when and where I was running their miles, I maintained a blog with pictures, stories, and self-deprecating anecdotes.

 

     In the course of those three years, I ran in nine states and two countries, in temperatures ranging from 3° up into the triple digits.  I ran through swamps, woods, deserts, fields, parks, and mountains, along back roads, front roads, parkways, highways and city streets.  I even did a race up the Empire State Building.  At times I was chased by dogs, gnawed by deerflies, and shot at by some punk kids in New Jersey, but despite it all, I was continually inspired by the support of my friends and happy to be keeping up my part of the deal.  Most of all, I was happy that, collectively, we were helping people in Haiti.

 

     The 2013 Boston Marathon marked the final miles of Paddy Runs for Haiti.  The morning was a celebration of human goodness and possibility, but it was all thrown into perspective that afternoon when the bombs went off.  After seeing that tragedy unfold then witnessing the city's resilience and the world's compassionate response, I knew I had to come back and run.  And I knew that doing it again needed to be about more than just running a race.  Like the Marathon itself, it had to be about demonstrating the best qualities of the human spirit and helping other people overcome difficult challenges.

 

     Welcome to Paddy Runs for Boston.