The Boston Marathon is less than two months away. While people across Massachusetts continue to shovel out from the 3 feet or more of snow, People around the world are battling all kinds of elements to extend their endurance for the 26-mile race that attracts elite runners every year.
Some people run because they would like to be able to say they completed a marathon. Others run to raise money for charity. Andrea Mantia is running for charity. She has decided to raise money for the Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation for Autism. Andrea hopes to raise $15,000 for Dougie’s Team.
The marathon is a two-part goal for Andrea. First, running the marathon has been a life-long dream of hers. Second, she hopes to raise money for families of autistic people. This includes her own family. Her son, Julian, was diagnosed with Autism.
Andrea made the decision last fall to run the marathon. As part of her training, she is posting periodic updates on social media to let people know how far she is progressing as he prepares for the big day, April 20.
Last September, Andrea ran a half-marathon. She missed her goal of finishing in two-and-a-half hours but given that she couldn’t run a mile at the start of June, completing the half marathon is certainly a respectable accomplishment. In October, she completed the Flutie 5k in 32:34.
As part of her fundraising, Andrea has set up a page on givengain’s website. Donations for future raffles are also welcome. People can visit the site to make a donation and check up on Andrea’s journey by reading about her training and inspiration. As part of the training, she runs both with others and alone. Running alone helps her with endurance and overthinking.
She also runs the treadmill for times like this week when the Northeast gets pummeled with snow. She posts updates on her Facebook page while sometimes snacking on jellybeans. (For carbs, of course.)
