Whenever I meet another runner, I immediately feel a common bond with that other person in knowing that he or she has gone through the same struggles as I have in learning to run longer, faster or harder. We share in the mental roadblocks that we have to overcome to stick to our training plan as well as the physical challenges of doing hill work, intervals or even running through walls. So when the bombs went off at the Boston Marathon, one of our most celebrated running events, we felt as if it was an attack in our own backyard, in our own running community.
When Rob Kent heard that the bombs had killed eight-year old Martin Richard, it touched him in a very personal way as he is a recent father with his own five-month year old son. As a participant in the upcoming Toronto Marathon, Rob wanted to find a way to show the people of Boston that runners in Toronto were supporting them.
Rob quickly hatched the idea of selling a technical t-shirt for runners to wear at the Toronto Marathon to raise funds for Boston Children’s Hospital which is one of the official charities of the Boston Marathon. He contacted the Toronto Marathon organizers and they’ve gotten behind the idea by providing floor space at the pre-race expo as well as promoting the sale of the shirt via Twitter and Facebook.
Rob collaborated with friends and family to come up with the t-shirt design which is in the blue and yellow colours of the Boston Marathon. The “we run with you” phrase was chosen for its power and simplicity; Rob liked that “if you emphasize different words in the sentence, you get a different meaning, but always the same sentiment.” On the back is a 26.2 which incorporates a bowed unicorn head that is derived from the Boston Athletic Association logo and serves as a “very strong image connecting back to the race itself.”
So if you’re planning to run the Toronto Marathon, please consider purchasing one of these shirts and wearing it on race day or you can choose to make a direct donation to the Boston Children’s Hospital. As runners, let us take every opportunity to show our support for Boston and demonstrate that we run with them.
To purchase a shirt, please visit the Boston, we run with you campaign page on Indiegogo. The order deadline is Thursday, April 25, 2013 at 11:59pm.
To make a direct donation, please visit Boston Children’s Hospital 26.2 for Boston Community Fundraiser page.
Running with Boston,
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