Paul's Did What?!
Welcome to my fundraising page for the Pine Street Inn.
As many of you know, on April 17th I ran the 110th Boston Marathon® for the hundreds of people in Boston who are served daily by Pine Street Inn and its dedicated staff and support network. Pine Street not only helps Boston's homeless by providing shelter and meals, but the Inn also focuses on how to help each guest leave the shelter behind by addressing two major obstacles for their guests -- lack of job skills and scarce affordable housing -- through its various programs and outreach. I was touched by the Inn's commitment to education and other programs that empower its guests with the information and skills that might allow them to sustain and improve the quality of their lives on an ongoing basis.
I am happy to report that I went from a guy who had never run a distance of more than 13 miles (which happened only once, when I got lost on a jog!) to now someone who has run and completed 2 marathons over three months’ time.
My final time in Boston was 3 hours, 52 minutes, and 16 seconds. I was targeting a time at/below four hours, so needless to say I was pleased. Also, I was able to improve on my 4:09 time in the Austin Marathon on Feb 19th.
I am also extremely grateful to the many of you who have donated either online or directly, by mail. THANK YOU. My original goal of $3,700 has been long surpassed, and I am very close to my revised fundraising goal. If you are still inclined to donate, you are welcome to do so! I appreciate your consideration of my request for your tax-deductible contribution. Donating through this site is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to make a contribution to my fundraising efforts.
If you prefer to make a donation by check or money order, you may do so by making your check payable to the order of "Pine Street Inn" and mailing it either directly to me at: 66 School Street Extension, Natick, MA 01760 OR you may also send a donation directly to my friends at the Pine Street Inn (attn: Shauna Helton), 444 Harrison Ave, Boston, MA 02118. You will receive a letter of acknowledgement for your tax purposes.
Many thanks for your kind support throughout this adventure. It has been a transforming experience (almost 30 lbs worth!) for me. And I’m looking forward to competing in marathon #3 this October in Victoria, BC. ;-)
Finally, I would like to acknowledge the love and support that Lena, Noah, and Ali have provided to me over these past several months of training. As if work wasn’t enough of a lien on my time, I was logging hours and hours of runs each week, often cutting in to our personal time and family plans. No words can express how grateful I am to them for making this sacrifice of time so that I could achieve my goal. I guess my ‘victory’ was completing a relay race, rather than a marathon, because my family was with me every step of the way.
With love and thanks, Paul