FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The 2018 New England Patriots Foundation's Boston Marathon Team has been fundraising and training tirelessly over the past several months with the goal of crossing the historic finish line at Mile 26.2 on Boylston Street.
This Patriots Day (Monday, April 16), 22 runners -- including four Kraft Group employees, lifelong Patriots fans, first-time marathoners and avid runners -- will come together and make their way to the starting line of the 122nd Boston Marathon. The team will begin this world-renowned race on Main Street in Hopkinton at 11:15 a.m. with the goal of reaching the finish line on Boylston Street, and each runner will wear an official Patriots Boston Marathon Team jersey generously donated by Nike and All Sports Heroes in Lowell.
Since its inception 10 years ago, the New England Patriots Foundation's Boston Marathon teams have raised more than $1.8 million to support children and families throughout the region. For the eighth consecutive year, the funds raised will support the Myra Kraft Community MVP Awards program, which honors Myra's livelong commitment to volunteering by recognizing outstanding community volunteers from all across New England and awarding grants to their respective nonprofit organizations.
"We are once again thankful to the Boston Athletic Association and John Hancock for the opportunity to participate in this historic race," said Josh Kraft, President of the New England Patriots Foundation. "The Myra Kraft Community MVP Awards are very near and dear to my family's heart, and we truly appreciate our marathon team's commitment to supporting this program and our Foundation. Our runners have trained through some historically cold temperatures this year and they are an extremely resilient and hard working group. We can't wait to see all of them cross the finish line on Patriots Day."
This year's Myra Kraft Community MVP Awards will recognize 26 volunteers from across the New England region for their outstanding commitment to community service. The honorees will be invited to a special luncheon at Gillette Stadium in June and will receive their awards from Patriots Chairman and CEO Robert Kraft. Each of the nonprofits for which the winners volunteer will receive a grant to support their programs. Last year's recipients featured individuals from every New England state, ages 17 to 86, serving nonprofit organizations specializing in education, healthcare, homelessness, mentoring and military appreciation, to name a few.
Hundreds of runners applied to be a part of this year's Patriots Boston Marathon team. When applying to the team, runners submitted information about their desire to run for the team, which included stories of being lifelong Patriots fans, triumph over personal difficulties and a desire to lead healthy lives. Fans can continue to make donations through race day in support of the team's cause by **clicking here**.
For more information about the Patriots Marathon Team and the Myra Kraft Community MVP Awards program, please visit **www.patriots.com/community**. For more information about how to receive email or text alerts each time a Patriots Marathon Team runner reaches checkpoints throughout the race, or for personal stories about members of the team, please contact Dan MacPherson at **DMacPherson@kraftsportsgroup.com** or 774-226-3031. Additional information and photos of runners available upon request.
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS FOUNDATION BOSTON MARATHON TEAM MEMBERS
Alex Berg – Dedham, Mass.
Charlie Blatchford – Somerville, Mass.
Peter Butera – East Boston, Mass.
John Christian – Brookline, Mass.
Cliff Dever – Medford, Mass.
Samantha Engle – Woburn, Mass.
Brian Ford – Stoneham, Mass.
Kelly Harmon – Cheshire, Mass.
Brandon Harper – Boston, Mass.
Samantha Hughes – Charlestown, Mass.
Joe Joyce – Shelton, Conn.
Mark Lamson – Foxborough, Mass.
Meghan McAneny – Boston, Mass.
Allison McCarthy – Peabody, Mass.
Juliana McDonald – Attleboro, Mass.
Colin McRavey – Simsbury, Conn.
Taryn Murphy – Boston, Mass.
Megan O'Brien – Watertown, Mass.
Maggie Sheetz – Topsfield, Mass.
Kendall Tucker – Somerville, Mass.
Please note that some of our other runners wished to remain anonymous
