WE ARE ALL RUNNERS THIS YEAR Campaign for the Boston Marathon

We Are All Runners This Year

“Let’s find everyone running for a Greater Boston charity in this year’s Marathon.  And thank them. 

Because in Boston we run together.”

The 2014 Boston Marathon is in large part about reliving, remembering and honoring the tragic and the heroic from the 2013 Boston Marathon.  Alongside the stories of loss and heartbreak from last year’s bombing, there were inspiring stories of courage and strength.  Those stories had us all in their grip.

The story of the 2014 Boston Marathon is about resiliency and personal triumph.  For those who are running for the first time, for those who are returning to run again, for those who are returning as supporters to make a statement, for all of us for whom making it through marathon day anywhere, in any way, marks a significant emotional turning point — the 2014 Boston Marathon will be a highly symbolic day of resiliency and personal triumph.

As the 2014 Boston Marathon gets closer day by day, we believe that we all share the sense that this one is going to be BIG.  Huge, really.  On every level.  Because this Marathon is more than just a race.

But as a point of fact, the field size is going to be much larger than ever before.  The Boston Athletic Association, which manages the race, has increased the field size by 9,000 runners from 27,000 in past years.  In addition to admitting more runners who met required times in qualifying races, the B.A.A. says that with the larger field it is awarding extra slots to “those most affected by last year’s events: those who were prevented from finishing, first responders . . . and families of victims”.

According to the B.A.A. on its site here, the increased field size was “part of our response to the acts that took place [last] April. Our city, our state, our nation and our sport are uniting to show that we don’t give in to such things and that we honor those who were most affected by it.”

This 2014 Boston Marathon will include 3,000 official charity runners, up by 1,000 from 2013, according to reports.  And you likely already read the Boston Globe article here saying that thousands who were inspired to run for a cause were not able to get charity bibs.  (This is in stark contrast to what the New York City Marathon.  According to Runner’s World here, applications there to run for charity were down by 3,000.)  In addition to the 3,000 who were awarded charity bibs, many otherwise qualified runners are also fundraising for deserving causes.

What this means is that every cold, pitch-black morning during this painfully long New England winter, not hundreds — but thousands — of our family members, friends, co-workers, neighbors and fellow citizens laced up their running shoes to train.  Morning after icy morning, they hit the pavement with determination — and a cause — in their hearts.

It is not just that these runners are giving to extraordinary causes around Greater Boston.  We believe that they are the very physical embodiment of Boston’s resiliency, generosity and pride.  In that sense, they are running for all of us.  Let’s find them.  And thank them.  The SheGives WE ARE ALL RUNNERS THIS YEAR Campaign for the 2014 Boston Marathon is being launched to inspire everyone to give on each day of the two+ weeks leading up to the Marathon to someone who is running in the Boston Marathon to fundraise for a worthy cause.  In that very tangible and meaningful way, we will all be “in the race”.

If you or someone you know is raising money for a 501c3 charity that benefits New England, please send a link to their fundraising page and we will link to it in one of our daily Roll Call of Runners for Extraordinary Causes on our blog at shegivesboston.org and on our twitter feed @shegivesboston.  We will post links to everyone we hear from as long as the runner is a New Englander, and the charity is a 501c3 tax exempt charity that benefits New England.  Send your fundraising links to us at .

SheGives is a private Boston-based foundation launched in September 2013 that supports a slate of extraordinary nonprofits in the Greater Boston area.   SheGives is not seeking public donations for itself.  See a list of the heavily diligenced 501c3 tax-exempt nonprofits selected for our slate that are seeking direct donations thru their websites here.