Firefighter Runs to Extinguish Cancer

Name: Chris Knight

Age: 44

Marathon experience:  Chris has been a and EMT for 15 years. He took up distance running in 2006 and has run six marathons since then. This will be his first Boston Marathon. One of his most memorable marathons was the Rhode Island marathon course in October 2006, part of ultramarathoner Dean  Karnazes “Endurance 50” (50 marathons, 50 states, 50 consecutive days). Karnazes congratulated Chris that day in person at the finish line. “He’s amazing. He's so inspiring,” said Chris.

Reason for running:  “I’ve always wanted to run Boston,” said Chris.  “And I’m running for a great cause.” Chris is running with the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge team in honor of his dad, a cancer survivor, and dozens of others. “I’ve got close to 30 people’s names on the back of my shirt,” he said.  Chris will be joining three other Westborough firefighters at the Hopkinton start line, including , Patrick Purcell and Keith Lermond. “It’s definitely brought us closer, with the four of us running Boston,” he said.

Training tip: Chris credits perseverance and family support for his marathon endeavors. “You've got to put the miles in," he said. While training can be tough at times, Chris emphasized, "Without my family supporting me, it would have been much more difficult."