Andover Resident dedicating 5 races to the New England Innocence Project, starting with the Boston Marat

With a coveted qualifying time, Will Swenson of Andover was already set to run the most prestigious marathon in the country. Though many would consider the challenge of marathon training enough to take on, Will has decided to once again make his Boston Marathon run even more meaningful by using the run to raise funds and awareness for the New England Innocence Project (NEIP) and their Running for Innocence Campaign for the third year in a row.

This year, Will is increasing his fundraising and physical challenges with a goal of raising $5,000 through five runs - a total of 269.2 miles, what he is calling The Endurance Series. Starting with the Boston Marathon on April 17th, Will also plans to complete the Ultra Race of Champions (100K race in Virginia), The North Face Endurance Challenge (50M race in Massachusetts), TARC Fall Classic (50K race in Massachusetts), and the Ghost Train (100M race in New Hampshire).

“For me, running truly represents the privilege and gift of freedom,” said Swenson. “Knowing that the money I raise will go directly towards giving another person the freedom they might not see without NEIP’s help makes the experience of training for and running the Boston Marathon truly invaluable.”

For a small organization like NEIP, the privilege of having a qualified runner choose to use their run to support their organization is not lost. Denise McWilliams, Executive Director of NEIP, said “We are so grateful to count Will as a member of our community. We know that a conviction doesn’t necessarily mean that a person is guilty, and the number of innocent men and women released from prison climbs steadily each year, proving that the system does, in fact, make mistakes. The money Will raises through Running for Innocence will go directly towards the investigative, scientific and technical expertise needed to bring NEIP's cases to trial - our work would simply not be possible without people like him.”

To learn more about Will or make a donation towards his goal of $5,000 visit: https://www.crowdrise.com/runn...

More about the New England Innocence Project:
The New England Innocence Project (NEIP) provides pro bono legal representation to people who have claims of actual innocence in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island or Vermont.
In addition to its work on behalf of individuals, NEIP raises public awareness of the prevalence, causes, and costs of wrongful convictions, and advocates for reforms that will reduce their incidence.
Running for Innocence is a directed campaign whose purpose is to provide the funds necessary for the investigative, scientific and technical expertise needed to bring NEIP's cases to trial. Running for Innocence funds are also used to help with the re-entry needs of people who have been exonerated and released from prison.
For more information on NEIP visit www.newenglandinnocence.org or call (617) 830-7685. They can also be found on Facebook at New England Innocence, Twitter at NEInnocence, and Instagram at newenglandinnocenceproject.