Neighbor News
Cheer Boston Virtual Marathoners Running All Over Tewksbury
Two Sole Sisters are looking for the Town's support when they run a marathon in Tewksbury on Saturday, September 12, 2020.
Sole Sisters Kim O’Hanlon and Kristen Kelley were set to run the 124th Boston Marathon on Patriots' Day, April 20, 2020 and then the COVID-19 pandemic hit. It was going to be their first time running the prestigious race and they had trained all winter long for it.
The marathon was originally postponed to September 14, 2020. The race was subsequently cancelled and is now a virtual race. Participants are required to complete a continuous marathon within a six-hour time period any time between September 7 and 14. They have both decided to #finishSTRONG and will be running the Boston Virtual Marathon all over Tewksbury on Saturday, September 12, 2020.
O’Hanlon, 35, of Tewksbury, is a charity runner and has raised close to $8,000 for Tufts Medical Center. She is running in honor of her son Max, who passed away in May of 2016 at just 18 months of age from Krabbe Leukodystrophy. Tufts Hospital was home to her family during their darkest days and provided much compassion for her family.
Find out what's happening in Tewksburyfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Kelley, 47, of Lowell, formerly of Tewksbury, received an invitational entry from the Boston Athletic Association to run the marathon on behalf of the Sole Sisters Running Club, based in Wilmington, MA, which both are members of. It has been a long-time goal of hers to run this race, but injuries and breast cancer delayed this goal, and now COVID-19 has.
Although O’Hanlon and Kelley are heartbroken that they can’t run the race in its traditional format, they will not be defeated. They are asking for the Town’s support in cheering for them when they run all over Tewksbury.
Find out what's happening in Tewksburyfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
They plan to start at 6am from their favorite coffee shop, Perfecto's Caffe, in Tewksbury, which will be their home base. They have combined four of their training loops that all begin and end at Perfecto’s to make a 26.2-mile course.
To view their route map, please visit: https://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/3340631869
If you would like to donate to the Tufts Medical Center in honor of Max O'Hanlon, you can visit: https://charity.gofundme.com/o/en/campaign/teamtuftsmc2020/kimohanlon1
To learn more about the Sole Sisters Running Club, please visit www.solesisters01887.com
