Waltham Runner on Pats Marathon Team Races in Honor of His Mom

Photos submitted

May 2015 marks nine years since his mom passed. As Brett Sawin writes on his fundraising page, it is hard for him to grasp that he’s spent nine Christmases, nine Mother’s Days and nine birthdays without her.

Sawin, who is from from Waltham, is running his first marathon - which happens to be the Boston Marathon - in honor of his mother.

“Grief is such a strange thing,” he wrote. “It never goes away ... just changes as time passes. Since I lost my mom in my junior year of high school I’ve constantly tried to find meaningful ways to incorporate her legacy into my daily life.

As the community relations coordinator for the New England Patriots, his choice of charity was an easy one. Sawin joins the Patriots Marathon Team, which has raised $206,521 so far for the Myra Kraft Foundation. In eight years, the team has raised more than $1 million to support children and families.

“The 2015 New England Patriots Charitable Foundation’s Boston Marathon Team has been fundraising and training tirelessly over the past several months throughout the snowiest winter in Boston’s history,” said the release. “Fortunately, that training is coming to an end and the runners will be put to the ultimate test.”

For Sawin, who is a community relations representative for the Pats, “One of the most surprisingly rewarding aspects of running the marathon is the sense of camaraderie and community it’s brought into my life. I’m undertaking such a tremendous physical challenge, but it pales in comparison to the physical fight that my mother put up against cancer.”

The 2015 New England Patriots Charitable Foundation’s Boston Marathon Team has been training through the winter, and includes 30 runners (that’s seven staff members), lifelong Pats fans. There are first-time runners and avid runners on the team.

The team set a goal this year of $200,000, which it has already eclipsed in two weeks.

For the fifth consecutive year, said the release, 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, a lifelong volunteer and community advocate.

“Last year, I learned firsthand what it’s like to train for a marathon and it was one of the most challenging experiences of my life,” said President of the Patriots Charitable Foundation Josh Kraft in a release. “To say that this year’s winter was brutal would be an understatement. This year’s team has shown tremendous commitment to their training and they have gone above and beyond to raise funds for our foundation. These awards are very near and dear to my family’s heart and we cannot thank our runners enough for their dedication. We look forward to seeing them all cross the finish line on Patriots Day.”

This year’s Myra Kraft Community MVP awards will recognize 26 volunteers from across New England.

Below is a list of the New England Patriots Charitable Foundation Boston Marathon Team:

• Allie Ayres – Hingham, MA
• Jackie Beatrice – Norfolk, MA
• Ryan Boughan – Boston, MA
• Rich DeCapua – Maynard, MA
• Brian Donahue – Macungie, PA
• Kelly Donahue – Stoughton, MA
• William Donovan – Middletown, CT
• Nicole Fiset – Plaistow, NH
• Maggie Hanrahan – Mashpee, MA
• Kim Healey – Hingham, MA
• Katie Horan – Hanover, MA
• Samantha Hughes – Charlestown, MA
• Andrew Lehrer – Foxborough, MA
• Anne McCarthy – Daytona Beach, FL
• Megan McCarthy – Beverly, MA
• Colin McRavey – Foster City, CA
• Nicholas Morris – Madison, WI
• Punit Patel – South Easton, MA
• Talene Pomfret – Newton, MA
• Matt Porro – Bridgewater, MA
• Brett Sawin – Waltham, MA
• Eric Schneider – Long Beach, CA

Are you running the Boston Marathon? We’d be happy to tell your story, too. Email charlene.arsenault@patch.com.