Mary Martini is a proud member of Back on My Feet in Boston, spending her pre-dawn hours every Monday, Wednesday and Friday with Team Hope House.
Running has been part of Mary’s life since she was a child. Growing up with a dad who was also a runner, it wasn’t hard for her to pick up the habit — especially because he entered her in children’s “fun runs” at the 5 and 10k races he was competing in. Mary ran competitively through college, and completed her first marathon in 2005.
Mary heard about Back on My Feet through her roommate, a fellow runner and BOMF volunteer. So she went to one of the Boston chapter’s first orientations and has been hooked ever since. As part of the 2011 Boston Marathon Team for BOMF, Mary has been working diligently on both her training and her fundraising. And all of her hard work has paid off! Mary is the first BOMF Boston Marathoner to reach and exceed the FundRacing minimum of $7,200! Way to go, Mary! We’re so proud of you and thankful for all you’ve been doing! You can read more about Mary’s running story below.
Little Mary whips some tail at a Kid's Fun Run
BOMF: Why is this important to you?
Mary: It’s hard to explain what it is like running with a BOMF team. I think what it comes down to is the human connection, being a part of team, motivating each other to run further or faster and taking an interest in each other’s lives. It’s a simple model and it works. Initially, I thought I would run one day a week with the team — but each Monday, Wednesday and Friday I find myself getting up at 5 a.m. to make the run. I’ve had a lot of fun running around the city with our team and love getting my run out of the way early in the morning. When I heard BOMF needed marathon runners I jumped at the chance!
Both the training and fundraising have been challenging — but that’s what makes it worth it. My team especially motivates me. Shout outs to Hope House team members also running Boston and especially to Doug, Kurt, Randy and Sean who are training for Providence. I’m also grateful to my family and friends who have supported this undertaking!
BOMF: Could you tell me a bit about your running history?
Mary: Growing up family vacations always included a race “along the way.” Along the way could mean anything from a one to two hour detour. My high school did not have a cross country or track team until my senior year, but I would run as conditioning for other sports and sometimes with my dad. When I went to college (University of Delaware – go Blue Hens!) I started practicing with the cross country team. Our coach had an open door policy — anyone interested could come do the workouts. I did not make the team my first year but continued to practice as a red shirt. I made the cross country and track teams the next year and competed for the next four years. I loved the running, especially cross country and I loved being a part of the team. My strongest friendships were developed there. After graduating, I ran my first marathon in 2005 (San Diego — with my dad).
I moved to Boston in 2008 and have watched my roommate compete in the marathon the past two years. I’ve always wanted to run Boston. It is a premier running event, has a lot of history and is right here where I live. This year I put running the Boston Marathon on my official list of things to do before turning 30, which forced me to come up with an action plan. Simultaneously I started running with Back on My Feet. My roommate had heard about BOMF through a running club and we went to the introductory meeting together. Since that day I’ve been running regularly with the Hope House team.
You can watch Mary’s progress and contribute to her Boston Marathon FundRacing campaign here.
Back on My Feet Washington, DC would like to give a big Thank You to Sport and Spine Rehab , located in Landover, MD. Allen Huffman, DC, and Volette Richardson, Community Relations Representative, both took the time to open their doors and welcome our members dealing with some lingering running pains. All athletes suffer from injuries and setbacks in their training, and with the right help from the folks over at Sport and Spine Rehab our members will be able to recover quickly and know how to stretch and strengthen themselves to avoid further injury in the future.
Please join us in congratulating the Saint John’s resident and non-resident of the month for January. We honor Bob this month with resident of the month. Bob just recently joined Team Saint John’s and his commitment and willingness to push himself each and every morning, despite taking a year and a half off from running, is both impressive and admirable. We also honor Abby as non-resident of the month. The entire Saint John’s team extends our gratitude and heartfelt thanks to our incredible team leader for the past 6+ months. We appreciate her passion, commitment and incredible generosity. While Abby will transition out of her role as team leader, she will remain on Saint John’s core team as the Volunteer Coordinator.
