Community Corner

Former Medfield Resident and MHS Grad Running Boston Marathon for Children's Hospital

Mark Crowley, MHS Class of '99, will be running in his fourth marathon on Monday but first in Boston – and he's doing it for a cause.

 Mark Crowley graduated from Medfield High School in 1999 and even though he was a member of the Warriors’ cross-country team, he never had plans to run a marathon.

“I didn't really have visions of running marathons back then,” said Crowley, who now lives in Arlington. “I definitely was not a star runner [in high school] and was known to creatively shorten the practice routes when I could. We were definitely a competitive team from what I remember though. Hopefully coach Kraemer has shredded any of the results sheets back from when I was on the team.”

In the spring of 2006, Crowley stumbled across a group called Boston Fit that was advertising marathon training.

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“It said all levels welcome so I figured I would go the first week and check it out, fully expecting to be out of my league,” said Crowley. “I remember being exhausted at the end of the three mile run and thought I’ll never be able to do 26 miles. But each week we increased our mileage a little bit and by October I was running [the Chicago marathon].”

Since Chicago, Crowley has ran marathons in Washington D.C. and Baltimore and will, for the first time, participate in the Boston Marathon on Monday, April 18, running for a cause.

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“After I ran Chicago in 2006 with my friend Ashlie Whitten, we always talked about doing Boston one day and running for a local charity,” Crowley said. “Since 2006, Ashlie had two kids so I didn’t think Boston was in the works anytime soon. It was a week after Baltimore [October, 2010] and she e-mailed me saying she thought we should run Boston in April. My legs were still feeling the pain of the Baltimore hills, but we applied to run for Children’s Hospital and both got in. Having the chance to run as part of a charity team definitely helped sell me on starting back up with training again December.”

Crowley said training over the winter was challenging due to the weather and forced some of his weekday training indoors on a treadmill, which is not on the list of his favorite ways to run.

“The snow covered roads didn’t leave much of a choice,” Crowley said.

Training with the Children’s Hospital team has been a great experience for Crowley and Whitten, despite a few minor injuries, including a fall that resulted in stitches on Crowley’s chin.

“I don’t have kids of my own, so a lot of people ask why I’m running for Children’s,” Crowley said. “My training partner, Ashlie, is a mom of two and she has had great experiences with the quality of care at Children’s. I have many friends who have also shared personal stories with me as well about the treatment they received as a child or treatment their kids have received.”

Crowley said the experience has also been rewarding because he and Whitten were paired with a patient partner at Children’s.

“Stephen, who is five years old,” Crowley said. “Just having the chance to spend time with Stephen and his family and hear about the quality of care they receive on a day in and day out makes the fundraising experience really gratifying.”

Crowley has raised $5,000 for Children’s Hospital, exceeding his original goal of $3,500.

“I knew [$3,500] was going to be a challenge,” Crowley said. “I was expecting to be out in front of selling cookies to help reach my goal amount. I’d love to say it has taken bake sales and raffles to hit my total, but my family, friends and colleagues have been extremely generous in supporting my run.”

Crowley’s fundraising site can be found by clicking here and there's still time to help support the cause and donate to Children’s Hospital.

“When I log on to my fundraising site and scroll through the list of donors, I am really touched at how many people stepped up to support a great cause like Children’s,” Crowley said. “I’m thrilled to reach $5,000 and am hoping to increase that total. All proceeds raised go directly to patient support at Children’s Hospital.”

Crowley said on race day he will be in his blue and orange Childen’s Hospital shirt and described his running style as slow and steady.

“I’m more the type to socialize during the entire run instead of worrying about how fast I’m going,” he said.

While Crowley may not be watching the clock, he will be soaking up the experience and excitement of running close to home.

“It’ll be great to finally do a marathon in my hometown and have friends and family cheering,” Crowley said. “Spectators don’t realize what a huge burst of energy it gives just to see people you know cheering you on along the way. I’ve been so lucky in my other three marathons to have my family and some friends come along to support me. It makes a huge difference in those final miles.”

Crowley thanked those who had supported him and his fundraising efforts for Children’s Hospital to support “the great work they do and the great resource they provide to families.”

While no longer a Medfield resident, Crowley still has strong Medfield ties as his parents still live in town and have done so for the past 35 years. 

Medfield will be well-represented in the 115th Boston Marathon on April 18, Patriots Day, as 20 residents have qualified to run in the world-famous, 26-mile race. The Marathon starts in Hopkinton and finishes in downtown Boston.


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