Beverly Man Will Run Boston Marathon For Father With ALS

CHICAGO, IL — Julian Davis, a lifelong Beverly resident and current cross country runner for Saint Xavier University, will run the 2018 Boston Marathon on Monday. He'll run the nation's most prominent 26.2 mile race in honor of his father, Samuel Davis who lives with ALS and has raised thousands for the Les Turner ALS Foundation during his training.

Boston will be just Davis' second marathon, having qualified with a time of 2 hours, 57 minutes, 33 seconds at the 2016 Bank of America Chicago Marathon. Not only was the Chicago race his first marathon, but he signed up for it after having previously only run two 5K races.

"I ran a few more (5Ks) and a half marathon after that and it felt pretty good," said Davis, an alum of Brother Rice High School and Sutherland Elementary School in Beverly. "Running has always been in my training. I would be running 40 or 50 miles a week anyway, so I thought this would be a good thing to do."

But it was his father's ALS diagnosis, which came in 2015, that inspired him to take up marathons.

"I felt I needed to do this to get the most out of my own body and as something my dad can be proud of," Davis said. "I'm doing it in his honor and to show him that I care. To live vicariously through him and to be the best person I can be."

Samuel Davis was never an avid runner, but was an endurance athlete and has competed in cycling races as long as 100 miles.

"He's the one who got me to start working out and competing in sports," Julian said.

But now, ALS has taken over much of Samuel's ability to live. He's no longer able to walk, has a hard time talking and relies on a ventilator to help him breathe.

"He's doing as well as you can with having that condition... but he is bedridden," Julian Davis said of his father. "He can't really talk at all. My brother can understand him a little bit because he can mumble. He's in good spirits though, still smiles and laughs and can express affection."

Since his father was diagnosed, Davis has helped the ALS Foundation raise money a number of ways, pulling in $1,300 for the foundation while training for the Chicago Marathon and has already raised more than $1,500 as part of his Boston fundraiser. Donate to the Les Turner ALS Foundation through Julian's page here.

"The community has been great," said Davis, who works at the Shannon Center at SXU in addition to competing for the school's cross country and track teams. "Most of the donations have come from the people at the Shannon Center and those from the communities. Evergreen Park and Beverly have both been really supportive."

Davis has followed a fierce training plan when it comes to preparing for Boston. He's run multiple 20 milers during training and once got up to 23 miles in a run. He hopes to improve on his 2016 Chicago time with a goal of finishing in 2:45:00 at Boston.

"The nerves probably won't kick in until the day of the race when I'm walking up to the starting line," Davis said.

He said the weather on Marathon Day could play a factor on his time. Also, the Boston Marathon is an "Point to Point" race that starts in suburban Hopkinton and finishes in downtown Boston. Most marathons, Chicago included, start and finish in the same general area.

"That does make it (Boston) a little scarier because if there is bad weather, that means it could follow you," he said. "But when we get into Boston, hopefully the tall buildings will get the wind to go down a bit."

As of Thursday night, Monday's forecast calls for temperatures in the low 50s with some showers and possibly significant winds.

After the marathon, Davis says he plans to stay in Boston for a few days as a tourist. He hopes to hit up a Boston Red Sox game at Fenway Park, the Boston Common area and a few of the city's most popular restaurants.

Davis sees the sky as the limit in his future running career. As a collegiate athlete at SXU, he hopes to qualify for the 2019 NAIA Marathon and has an ultimate goal to one day qualify for the Olympics in the Marathon event. Running all the World Major marathons is another goal of his.

But for now, it's all about Boston. And Boston is all about running for dad, and others with ALS.

"Running is a way for me to show my dad and others that they are not alone in this fight,” Davis said. “Every mile I run is dedicated to all who battle this disease."

Top photo: Julian Davis and his father, Samuel Davis. Julian is running the Boston Marathon in honor of his dad and all others who suffer from ALS. Photo provided