Stoughton Resident to Run for Patriots Boston Marathon Team

When the New England Patriots marathon team steps up to the start line of the Boston Marathon, a Stoughton resident will be apart of the 30-member team.

Kelly Donahue, who is also works for the Super Bowl Champions, will make the 26.2 mile trek from Hopkinton to Boston, capping off months of fundraising and training by herself and the team.

Donahue will be running to raise money for the New England Patriots Charitable Foundation. She said she is running for her grandfather, who is suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.

While Donadue will run in one of the world’s most elite road races on Monday, it certainly wasn’t easy for someone who had no racing experience, as evident by her first training run around the Stoughton High School track.

“I didn’t realize what I had gotten myself into because I couldn’t make it around the track twice without feeling like I was going to pass out. I truly questioned if I made the right decision signing up for the Boston Marathon for quite a few weeks,” she said. “Slowly I was able to run one or two miles without stopping, but still was debating if I should back out. Finally, one night after work, a fellow runner convinced me that I should try to run four miles, which was double anything I had done in my entire life. After finishing those four miles, I decided that I was 100 percent capable of running the marathon and became fully committed to my training.”

This year’s Patriots Boston Marathon Team set an ambitious goal of raising $200,000 and has already eclipsed that mark with just under two weeks until race day. Since its inception eight years ago, the New England Patriots Charitable Foundation’s Boston Marathon teams have raised more than one million dollars to support children and families throughout the region. For the fifth consecutive year, the funds raised will support the Myra Kraft Community MVP Awards program which awards grants to nonprofit organizations through nominations of deserving volunteers in the New England region in honor of the late Myra Kraft, who was a lifelong volunteer and community advocate.

More than 100 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 visiting www.firstgiving.com/PatriotsCharitableFoundation/bostonmarathon2015.

Click here to head over to Donahue’s donation page.