Despite the Boston Marathon's postponement, Foxborough native and Patriots Marathon Team runner Mark Lamson knew he still wanted to celebrate Patriots' Day by running 26.2 miles.
"I was already in peak training when the marathon was postponed," Lamson said. "I said that day I would still run a marathon on Patriots' Day and Marathon Monday, and I did just that."
Determined to run while still practicing safe social distancing, Lamson decided to log his miles throughout his hometown of Foxborough, mapping a course throughout his friends' neighborhoods. Dressed in his 2018 Patriots Marathon Team gear, Lamson began his personal marathon at Burrell Elementary School at 11 a.m. Monday morning.
Over the course of four hours, he wove his way through town before crossing a homemade finish line back at Burrell, complete with a Foxborough Police escort. Although he wasn't on the packed streets of Boston, members of the community cheered him along every step of the way.
"The support from the community was truly incredible," Lamson said. "I'm incredibly proud to have a community that came out to support me as it did. I didn't know at the time, but after I started the run, someone posted on a public social media page for the town, and that's when things got crazy. People came out of their houses that I didn't even know to cheer and support me. The support made the entire course key."
When Lamson takes the starting line in September, it will mark his fifth consecutive year running the Boston Marathon with the Patriots Marathon Team. Over the years, he has raised more than $65,000 in support of the Patriots Foundation, with all of the funds being earmarked for the Myra Kraft Community MVP Awards program. Lamson has already raised more than $7,000 this year, and has set a personal goal of raising $17,500 in support of the Patriots Foundation.
"I'm really proud to represent the Patriots Foundation as a member of the marathon team," Lamson said. "The Myra Kraft Community MVP awards are quite unique with how they provide grants to 26 small, local charities each year. I'm amazed and inspired each year by the individuals who win the awards and what each of them has done in giving back to the community."
