Firefighters Call This Runner an Inspiration

Name: Patrick Purcell 

Age: 39 

Marathon Experience: This will be the eighth Boston Marathon for the 12-year veteran of the . Patrick started running the marathon in 2003 to raise money for the Fallen Firefighters Fund. He became quiet when asked about that first marathon, saying that it had quite a bit of meaning to him. His fellow firefighters credit him with organizing the run each year, and they call him an inspiration.   

Reason for Running: This year, Patrick and three other Westborough firefighters will be running to raise money for Dana Farber. His shirt, he said, is covered with names of people who have been touched by cancer. Each year he adds names to his shirt. “I’m running this year in memory of a family friend, Pam Moore,” he said. 

Training Tips: “Think positively,” he offered. “Seventy-five percent of running is in your head, 25 percent is in your legs.” The Sutton resident is the father of a nine-year-old who will be rooting him on through the race.