Granby Officer Takes On NYC Marathon For Kids

GRANBY, CT — Granby school resource officer Chris Dufresne will take on the New York City Marathon Sunday to help children learn the same lesson he draws from endurance sports: keep going when things get difficult.

Dufresne will run the 26.2-mile race Nov. 1 for Race4Chase, a youth triathlon program honoring Chase Michael Anthony Kowalski, one of the children killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012, according to a YMCA of Greater Hartford news release included in Granby’s Nov. 2 Board of Selectmen meeting packet.

He and fellow YMCA volunteer Ashley Battesh have each set a $5,000 fundraising goal to support the program.

“A lot of kids get caught up in the moment,” Dufresne said in the release. “What happens this day right here doesn’t define you for the rest of your life. You just have to keep pushing forward.”

A veteran marathoner and triathlete, Dufresne serves on the Farmington Valley YMCA’s branch advisory council. The YMCA said his involvement connects his work with young people to the lessons he has learned through years of training and racing.

Recently, he helped pace his son-in-law through the final 50 miles of a 100-mile trail race that included about 14,000 feet of climbing, according to the release.

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“No matter how many marathons I’ve done, there always comes a point when I feel like I don’t want to push through anymore,” Dufresne said in the release. “Things get tough in life as well. Race4Chase gives children the confidence to believe in themselves and teaches those life lessons that extend far beyond athletics.”

The six-week Race4Chase program is free for children ages 6 to 12 and provides swimming, biking and running instruction. Bicycles are provided, and children do not need prior experience, according to the YMCA.

The program ends with a youth triathlon at YMCA Camp Sloper in Southington. More than 700 young participants and coaches took part in the 2026 finale, according to the release.

Battesh, a YMCA of Greater Hartford board member and Farmington Valley YMCA member, became involved after learning swimming and cycling skills from Chase’s mother, Rebecca Kowalski. Her son Luke later joined the youth program and has returned year after year, the YMCA said.

“Every child deserves opportunity,” Battesh said in the release.

The runners’ fundraising will help provide instruction, equipment and access to the program, according to the YMCA. The release directs supporters to Dufresne’s fundraising page.

For more Northern Connecticut news, follow Patch editor Jay Kenney.